Beginning Eternity: I Spark of Fallout
by Baltorigamist
Summary: There is unrest in Nome and around the territory-secrets lurk that, if released, could destroy the balance forever. T for moderate-heavy violence and light emotional intensity
1. Chapter 1

I

Aleu crouched in the low brush of the island, her eyes locked on the caribou that grazed carelessly only a few yards away. She could sense her pack mates around her, their shared postures in the tall grass unwavering. She narrowed her eyes as another pang of hunger clawed at her stomach: today would be the last time they would go hungry for a week at a time.

The dim sunlight of the dawn beamed down on the wolves as they carefully surrounded the caribou. Their forms were nearly invisible as they stalked their prey.

Aleu peered past the caribou's chest and caught the eye of Xyrun, a brown wolf with lighter markings around his chest and eyes. She silently and almost imperceptibly flicked her ear—the sign for attack. Her muscles tensed involuntarily as she saw Xyrun spring up from his position to the caribou's left. The beast reared up on massive hind legs and let out a deafening bellow as Xyrun slashed at its neck and shoulder. It swung its head violently, shaking it massive antlers in agony, narrowly missing Xyrun's head.

Almost immediately, Sarun, a lighter female, leapt at the creature from her position just to Aleu's right. Sarun dodged a kick from the creature and latched onto the caribou's hindquarters while three other wolves rushed in from the front of the animal. Aleu stepped backward to gain a better view of the chaos, to keep track of her pack.

Everything seemed to be going well for the time being—the caribou now seemed to be stumbling backward, reeling to keep its balance. She heard its agonized bellows as her pack mates attacked, and the bodies of the wolves nearly obscured it from view.

Soon she leapt at the beast herself, her eyes locked on its belly. Even as the caribou reared to block the attack, she darted in and twisted her head, feeling her teeth graze against the ungulate's fur. But she was an inch too low; and at that moment, the beast's hoof struck her head, scratching her above the eye and bruising the side of her face. She gasped, twisting in midair, and was caught in the cheek by its other foreleg. Yelping in surprise, she hit the ground roughly on her back, staring up at the massive, raging beast that stood above her.

Her time as leader of the Anyaris, however, had taught her to ignore the pain, and she stood and joined Sarun at the beast's neck. She noticed that the other wolf was bleeding from a scratch across her left eye, but that did little to discourage her as she leapt in and gnawed at the caribou's eye.

Sarun released her grip on the beast's jaw and fell to the ground as Aleu grasped over its head, trying to make sure its antlers would not kill anyone. She snapped at its neck, falling to miss the giant antler that was swinging toward her. But it clipped her hind leg, and she collapsed once more.

Aleu finally retreated as Sarun dug her teeth into the caribou's throat. She shook off the pain from her injuries and limped around to where Xyrun had a grip on the beast's hindquarters.

"Come on," she said quietly, rubbing her bruised eye with a forepaw, "take him down."

She watched anxiously as Xyrun gashed the caribou's flank, causing the animal to stumble to the ground. Then Sarun ducked under an antler to tear open its shoulder while Xyrun rushed in from the other side to finish the caribou off. A few minutes later, the beast was dead.

Aleu then checked on Xyrun and Sarun to see if the wolves had suffered any serious injuries. Sarun had a scratch below her right eye and scrapes on her left cheek and shoulder, and Xyrun was bleeding from a row of cuts on his side, but nothing seemed life threatening.

The small group began to return to the center of the territory by wordless consent, and Aleu noticed that Sarun was limping on her right foreleg. "What did you do to it?" she asked her. "Guess I'll have to tell Nuk he's on hunting duty for a few weeks."

Sarun chuckled. "You think Nuk will hunt? We'll be lucky if he doesn't hog all the food. Besides," she added, "Sarol's been pregnant now for almost two months. He needs to stay with her until the pups come. And we shouldn't need to hunt for at least a couple of days."

"Think you'll be okay on that leg, though?" Aleu asked again.

"Yeah," Sarun answered. "I think I just landed on it funny."

The three arrived at the den a few minutes later. Zharil, a darker wolf who was Aleu's mate, came out and met Aleu with a friendly nuzzle. "What happened?" he asked worriedly, calmly licking Aleu's wounds. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Zharil," Aleu replied a second later. "It was tough to take it down though, didn't want to fall."

"You did kill it, right?" Zharil asked, a playful tone in his voice.

"Eventually, yeah," Aleu responded. She inclined her head toward Xyrun and Sarun, who were licking each other's wounds. "You guys did well," she told them.

"No problem, Aleu," Xyrun said, his mate's head buried in his chest fur. "I'd do anything for the benefit of the Anyaris." He smiled gently and nuzzled Sarun again.

A minute of silence passed before Aleu spoke again. "Come on," she said. "Let's go tell Nuk and Sarol." She entered the den and soon returned with the other two wolves in tow. Sarol's belly bulged noticeably, and Nuk was as eager as ever to have another meal.

"It's right here," Aleu said, and she led them to the carcass.

The wolves arrived a minute later, and Aleu quickly ate her fill. She allowed Sarol to eat next, followed by Xyrun, Sarun, and Nuk.

She stepped back when everyone was finished eating. "It's good to be able to eat again," she said.

Sarol chuckled. "You have no idea. These pups never want to stop eating, it seems. That's one thing they're getting from their father."

Everyone laughed as Nuk shoved her gently. "I'm sure there will be other things," the wolf told her.

Later that night, Aleu lay awake in her den, gazing out at the stars that filled the dark sky. "Thank you, Aniu, for all of this," she whispered to herself. "I don't know where we'd be without you, if you hadn't come, hadn't helped us. Thank you."

Almost immediately, as if in response, she saw a comet dart across the sky before fading into darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

II

A dream interrupted Aleu's sleep that night:

_First, she had a vision of the end of her trip across the ocean. She was sick and tired of this seemingly endless travel across the water; she missed Balto, Jenna, Kodi, Dingo, and everyone else from home that she wanted more than anything to see again. But then her thoughts were interrupted by a call from Xyrun._

"_Aleu!" he shouted. "I see land!"_

_Aleu whirled around. "You do?" She squinted, following Xyrun's motioning paw, and was astonished to see the gray-green hump of a shoreline peeking over the distant horizon. She could make out a few rocky formations to either side, but most of the coast was a sandy beach. The interior of the land mass looked to be a deep, dense forest in some places and a vast mountainous region in others. _

_The hours passed slowly, but Aleu knew they were steadily approaching their new home. Gazing down through the clear, blue water, Aleu began to see rocky sandbars several feet below the surface. As they neared the coast, which by now was only half a mile away, several massive salmon and halibut darted below them. One would occasionally leap from the water, and one of the wolves would snap it up and give it to Aleu._

_It was evening when the ice floe finally washed onto the coast. Aleu leapt off joyfully, scanning the island in wonder. "It's perfect here!" she exclaimed, looking out over the interior and deciding how the Anyaris clan would be stationed. The scent of the caribou was strong; she was sure that the beasts were abundant here._

_Today marked the end of the famine, the end of the conflicts that had besieged the Anyaris since Aleu had joined._

_The vision changed suddenly, and now Aleu caught sight of what appeared to be a deep, dark cave. a figure sat, hunched, in the center, which was soon revealed to be a massive gray wolf. The wolf—its scent carried male—was very muscular, but his head was tilted toward the ground in a position that suggested submission. He seemed to be staring at his forepaws, but his expression was one of anguish._

_Shackles and chains were wrapped around the wolf's wrists and ankles, and the other ends were fixed into the walls of the cavern._

_Aleu approached him slowly and cautiously—except for him, she was alone. "Excuse me," she said. "Is something wrong?"_

_She recoiled as the wolf suddenly snapped at her, his teeth an inch from her nose. Just as quickly, the wolf pulled away, but he kept one fiery eye glaring at Aleu, and he was growling all the time. _

_Aleu looked away for a second to avoid his piercing stare. She caught sight of his eyes, however, and she saw that tiny flames had taken the place of his irises. She soon turned back, ready to face whatever threat this mysterious wolf posed to her._

_Then Aleu yelped in surprise as the flames in the wolf's eyes suddenly erupted into massive fireballs. The fire cascaded down its face and chest, flowing down its foreleg and encasing its body until it seemed to be made of flame. As soon as it reached the ground, the inferno spread to the walls of the cavern, encircling Aleu and the other wolf. Terrified, Aleu stepped backward again, but she flinched as she felt the heat singe the tip of her tail. Yelping in pain, she turned back to face the flaming wolf just as dozens of shapes began to rise from the fire. Soon they took the forms of wolves, each black as night and snarling viciously. Aleu recoiled, making a full circle, but the wolves surrounded her. She dodged a few strikes, but it was not long before one of them sank its teeth into her hind leg._

_She flinched again in pain, but she knew resistance was futile. The bolts of agony came relentlessly, the fangs tearing into her sides and neck. Suddenly something clawed across her eye, and she fell, still struggling. Her bloody cheek scraped across the ground as she felt a wolf's teeth tear into the side of her face. Something slashed across her shoulder and foreleg, and she felt her ear nearly be torn off._

_She felt nothing but unbridled agony; she heard nothing but her own whimpers and the snarls of the flaming wolves. Her vision was nothing more than flashing colors and vibrant tones._

_Almost immediately, her hearing and vision seemed to dissipate, only to be restored just as quickly as it had gone. Finally, everything faded away, and Aleu was left in a quiet, dark void._

It was still dark when Aleu next awoke. Rather than wake Zharil, however, she thought about her dream.

_What could it mean?_ she thought. _Who was he, and how did he get there? Where was that? Is it near—no, it couldn't be. But then…how was_ I _there?_

She sighed, resolving that it had all been only a dream, and none of that would happen. She tried to lie down and relax, fall asleep again, but the images from her nightmare prevented sleep from coming.

All she could do was wait for morning to come, so she focused on memories of her family.

She remembered playing with Muk and Luk in the forest outside Nome, that rush of adrenaline when she dashed through the trees. She remembered sitting in that box and waiting to be adopted. She remembered the day she found out about her heritage and ran away; she remembered finally meeting up with Balto during her battle with the grizzly. She remembered meeting the wolf pack, and she remembered howling to Balto that one final time as she floated away on the ice floe.

_But that's all behind me now,_ she sighed. _And Aniu only knows what will happen to me now._


	3. Chapter 3

III

Aleu sat in her den later that day, still searching for some answer as to her dream the night before. She looked up suddenly as she heard someone approaching. "Sarun," she said. "What is it?"

Sarun stepped to the side and roughly threw another figure into the den. "I found someone in the middle of the island. I have no clue how she got here, and I have no idea who she is."

"Hmm," Aleu said to herself. She stepped forward to inspect to the figure. To her surprise, she saw that it was a young female wolf. She calmly approached the wolf, studying her and trying to figure out her intentions.

What she saw surprised her. The wolf was a darker gray in color, and she could be no more that six months old. Her face was cut and bruised, and it was clear that she had suffered through recent hardship. She was shivering nervously and trying to avoid eye contact. Her ears were pinned back in apprehension, and her tail was sweeping back and forth across the ground.

"It's okay," Aleu said as she neared the wolf. "I promise not to hurt you."

The young wolf only cowered further from her, struggling to make herself as small a possible.

"Trust me," Aleu said. "What's your name?"

The wolf whimpered. "P—Paena," she said after a moment. Then she met Aleu's eyes for the first time, her piercing, terrified brown eyes locked on Aleu's blue ones.

"Paena," Aleu repeated slowly. "That's an interesting name. I like it," she added, nodding.

Paena was slow to respond. "Th-thanks…uh…."

"Call me Aleu for now," Aleu said.

"Thanks, Aleu," Paena repeated, the nervous tone remaining in her voice.

"How did you get here?" Aleu asked after a pause. "Where did you come from?"

Paena was silent for a moment. "I…I swam here a few days ago. There was—a storm, and we were separated from land. We were stuck in the middle of the ocean for what felt like forever, and then the ice broke. My parents…they—they fell into the water and…and they—disappeared. Soon I fell into the water too." Obviously troubled by the memory, she broke down once more, tears streaming down her face.

"It's okay, Paena," Aleu reassured her, nudging her shoulder. "We'll take care of you."

Paena only sobbed for several seconds before continuing. "It was…cold," she said, "r-really…cold. I thought I was going to—to die. But—but I managed to swim here." She looked away, burying her head in her forepaws.

Sarun now spoke for the first time. "What should we do with her, Aleu?" she asked.

Aleu turned away from Paena to speak to Sarun. "To be honest," she replied, "I'm not sure. By pack law…."

"We can't let her in, so we should kill her," Sarun finished.

"But I can't kill her with a good conscience," Aleu countered. "Does she deserve to die? She's young, and she's the only one left in her family. She's alone, and we're her only chance of survival. You can see she's scared already—I'm not going to make it worse."

"But what if she's lying?" Sarun asked. "What if she came from somewhere else?"

"We're on an island in the middle of the Bering Sea! Where else could she have come from?"

"I've never seen her before," Sarun said. "I don't know where she came from, but we need to get rid of her!" She growled and began to raise a paw, but she stopped—she knew Aleu could perceive it as a threat.

"No!" Aleu yelled, prompting a curious look from Paena. "We can't kill her—she's innocent!"

"What do you mean she's in—" Sarun broke off as Zharil entered the den.

"What's going on?" Zharil said, a worried tone in his voice.

Aleu sighed. "Sarun found Paena here"—she motioned to the young wolf—"and wants to get rid of her. But she seems innocent."

Zharil raised an eyebrow. "How did she get here?"

"She said she was separated from her parents in a storm," Sarun said quickly. "Then she swam here. But I don't buy it."

"But where else could she have come from?" Aleu interrupted. "It's not like there's any land here that leads to somewhere else."

Zharil paused for a moment. "We can't be sure until she's older. But we can't just kick her out—she appears to be alone." He sighed. "I think the best we can do is at least give her food and a place to stay. We can decide whether to allow her into the pack later."

"Yeah," Aleu said. "Sarun, go tell Xyrun and Nuk and Sarol to meet me in the council space tonight." She turned back to Zharil as Sarun exited the den, and then looked to Paena.

Paena raised her head and met Aleu with pleading eyes. "Please don't kill me," she begged.

Aleu approached her and gently nuzzled her shoulder. "Trust me," she said reassuringly. "I'll do everything in my power to make sure you live."

"But aren't you the Alpha?" Paena asked. "Don't you control them?"

Aleu inhaled deeply and sighed. "It's hard to explain, so just don't worry about it right now. Here," she added, pulling a rabbit carcass from a corner. "Eat this."

Aleu sat and watched Paena calmly as the other wolf ate.

"It's getting late," she said once Paena had finished eating. "Follow me."

Ignoring her curious looks, she led Paena through a narrow passage lined by giant trees and several large boulders. A few minutes later, they came out into an enormous clearing in the center of the island, where the entire pack—more than a dozen wolves—were already stationed.

"Aleu," Zharil greeted his mate; he was already at the head of the clearing. Aleu returned the greeting with a brief nuzzle, and then she took her place between him and Paena.

"Start it?" she whispered to him.

"Yes," Zharil replied, "start it."


	4. Chapter 4

IV

"Some of you may have heard," Aleu began, projecting her voice across the grassy expanse, "about the wolf we just discovered earlier today. Her name is Paena." She looked out and scanned the faces of Nuk, Sarol, Xyrun, Sarun, and the other wolves. Then she turned to gaze at Zharil and turned once more to stare intently at Paena. The young female was trembling with fear, and Aleu softened her gaze to reassure her.

"We all know the pack law, I take it," Aleu continued. "Any and all intruders—"

"—must be killed," the other wolves finished, almost in unison. They broke into a chorus of excited growls until Zharil raised a paw and they all fell silent.

"But Paena is innocent!" Aleu said, raising her voice. "We have no reason to kill her!"

"What are you talking about?" a wolf blurted out; Aleu saw that it was Xyrun. "She could destroy us?"

"And how would that happen?" Sarol shouted. "She's barely a pup, and there's one of her and fifteen of us! She wouldn't stand a chance against us, so let's give her a chance!"

"Quiet!" Aleu shouted. "Paena," she said, turning to the female, "tell them!"

Paena's eyes were wide with apprehension, but she stood and stared out at the Anyaris. "I—I was separated from my parents in a storm. We were…on an ice floe, and—and it broke off. There was a storm, and they fell off and drowned. Then I ended up here." Tears dripped down her gray cheeks as she finished, and she turned away shyly. "Please don't kill me," she murmured, burying her head in her forepaws.

"How do we know when that was?" Sarun called. "That could have been years ago! There could be a whole other pack here!"

"Then we're intruding on their territory, and that pack will kill all of us," Aleu countered coolly.

"If they'd kill us, they might as well kill Paena too, since she's essentially a member of this pack," a wolf shouted. "And since nobody else has yet, why don't we?"

"Would you kill my pups?" Sarol interrupted. "They're innocent!"

"What do they matter?" another wolf called. "They're not even born yet!"

Sarol whirled around to face him, snarling viciously. She began to approach the wolf, but Nuk intervened. "Don't fight," he told her. "You and the pups will all die."

Aleu, however, left Zharil to restore order and stepped back to comfort Paena. "It's okay," she told her again. "Paena, you won't die. I promise." She paused for a moment and inclined her head. "Follow me."

Paena obeyed silently, following her through several rocky pathways until they came to a small den. "What do you use this for?" she asked quietly, speaking for the first time in several minutes.

Aleu shrugged. "It's just a den," she responded. "I used to come here a lot when I was younger, before the pack was as big as it is now." She lay on the cool stone floor, resting her head on her forepaws. "So much was happening then," she added, speaking as much to herself as to Paena. "I haven't been here in a long time."

"Why not?" Paena asked.

"There's been some tension in the pack lately," Aleu explained. "Between people having pups and the famine we had last month, I've been really busy."

"That must be tough," Paena commented, "trying to manage a pack when you're not at your best."

"Not really," Aleu replied. "We're not really at our best right now, so I'm sorry for how they're treating you." She sighed. "I've been living with them for years, and I still don't know what they think of me sometimes. Do you know what I'm talking about?"

Paena nodded slightly. "That's kind of like how it was with…my parents." She whimpered quietly and placed a paw on Aleu's shoulder. "Are you sure they won't kill me?"

"I would die before I let them kill you," Aleu replied. She allowed Paena to nuzzle into her side.

A moment of silence passed, and then Paena spoke again. "How did your pack get here?"

Aleu was slow to respond. We just followed the caribou. We needed food to survive."

"So you came here on an ice floe too?"

"Yeah," Aleu responded. "Aniu brought us here."

The mention of the wolf goddess spiked Paena's interest. "You met Aniu?"

"No, not yet. But she's my grandmother as far as I know."

"You're related to Aniu?" Paena gasped.

"Sometimes I feel like I was born to lead the Anyaris even though I'm only a quarter-wolf."

"The other wolves don't mind, though?"

"Not really." Aleu shifted positions slightly as she sat up.

"You said you were only a quarter-wolf?" Paena asked. "Who are your parents?"

"My papa is a wolfdog and my mother is a husky," Aleu responded.

"Where are they now?" Paena said,

"The last time I saw them, they were in Nome." Even as she said this, Aleu felt that she might have said too much.

At that moment, Zharil entered. "I thought I'd find you here, Aleu. But why did you bring Paena here?"

Aleu sighed. "I wanted to take her somewhere private, and this was the first place I thought of. Anyway, how did the council go?"

"Not well," Zharil replied, his mouth bent into a frown. "I couldn't convince them to let her live. Hell, I could hardly keep them from attacking me."

"You okay?" Aleu asked, concerned.

"Yeah," Zharil replied. "I'm fine. I'm just worried about Paena—I mean, we can't let them kill her."

"It's getting late," Aleu pointed out after a pause. "Maybe we should discuss this tomorrow." She yawned and sat in one corner of the den. "Pae—Paena," she said, "you can sleep over there." She lifted a paw and pointed to the opposite corner, and then laid her head in her forepaws.

Paena walked to the edge of the den and lay down as Zharil lay beside Aleu. "Night, I guess," she told them.

"Night, Paena," Aleu echoed. "Night, Zharil."

"Goodnight," Zharil repeated, nuzzling her, and soon they were all asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

V

Paena awoke a few hours later. The sky was still dark, but she lay there, planning her next actions. She resisted the temptation to kill Aleu and Zharil and exited the cave, her destination foremost in her mind. _I can't believe they trusted me,_ she thought, chuckling. _They were so close, but they couldn't figure it out._

Guided by her precise memory, Paena navigated through the brush and mountains of the island until she reached a tiny opening in the side of a mountain. The darkness did not bother her—the time she had spent as the Ravista clan's primary spy had been enough that her vision adjusted quickly. She located the opening and slipped through; seconds later, she was gone from the outside world.

She stifled a yelp as she slipped on a patch of loose gravel, ducking so make her way through the narrow passage. Another opening soon came into view, and through it, Paena saw her home.

The red ground was dry and rocky, cracked with the effects of millions of years without water. A few rocky spires scraped the sky to the east, and a silver ocean of some unknown substance embraced the western horizon. Far in the distance, scraping the northern skies, was a mountain range that rivaled anything on the surface world: dozens of jagged peaks that stretched thousands of feet high. The sky was also bare and desolate, the thin layers of pale brown occasionally broken by thin, wispy clouds. The entire place carried a musty stench that rode on the breezes that sometimes cut the air. The world was seemingly silent; the only sound was that of Paena's measured breathing.

Moving with urgency, Paena made her way along the side of the mountain she was on. She turned to her right, down a narrow path, between two low ridges, and caught the scent of Tuunbaaq, the Alpha of the Ravista clan. She soon came to Tuunbaaq's den. "Alpha," she said, lowering her head in a kind of bow.

"Paena," a deep voice drifted out from somewhere inside. "I trust you have the information?"

"Yes."

"Come in and tell me," the wolf ordered roughly.

Paena entered the den cautiously. She saw Tuunbaaq lying against the far wall, his back to her. She waited silently for several seconds, but her neither said anything nor moved.

"Will you tell me?" Tuunbaaq snapped suddenly, whirling around to face her.

Paena stepped backward in surprise. "I—I recommend you attack soon," she said quietly. "The Anyaris are weak right now, so it would be easy to take them down."

"How are they weak?" Tuunbaaq asked. "What would be the best way to destroy them?"

"I've made friends with the Alpha," Paena responded. "She confirmed that her name is Aleu, and she's mated to a wolf named Zharil."

"Is it true that she's related to Aniu?" he asked sharply.

"Y-yes, Tuunbaaq," Paena answered.

"What did Aleu say? Tuunbaaq snapped. "What's your relationship in the pack?"

"They—A-Aleu and Zharil—and two other wolves, Nuk and Sarol, trust me completely and want to keep me in the pack. Everyone else thinks I came from somewhere else and wants to kill me. But Aleu said she'd die to save my life."

Tuunbaaq chuckled, a more sinister tone entering his voice. "We'll see about that."

"I—I'd better go," Paena said quickly. "It's getting close to morning there."

"Go!" Tuunbaaq barked. "But do not forget the plan!"

"Trust me," Paena replied. "I will remember." Then she made her way back to the surface world, back to Aleu and Zharil's den. She jumped, surprised, as she saw that Aleu was already awake.

"Paena!" Aleu called. "Where did you go?"

Paena already had an excuse planned. "I was just going for a little morning walk."

"Why? You know everyone wants to kill you."

"I just wanted to calm my nerves a bit," Paena replied. "You know, it's kind of difficult to live if you know people want you dead."

"Trust me," Aleu said, remembering her own puppyhood. "I know. But why didn't you wake me?"

"I don't know," Paena answered. "I guess I just didn't think to."

"You didn't meet anyone, did you?" Aleu asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

"No, I didn't," Paena replied innocently. "There was a close call, though."

Aleu pricked her ears forward. "With who?"

"I'm not sure," Paena responded. "It was too dark to tell."

"Which way did you go?"

Paena pointed in an arbitrary direction. "Over there, I think."

"Don't worry," Aleu reassured her, "Nuk and Sarol are the only ones there; they're with me."

Just then, Zharil awoke. "Morning, Aleu," he said, yawning. He nuzzled his mate lovingly and then greeted Paena. "Why are you two up so early?" he asked, yawning again. "The sun is barely up."

Aleu chuckled. "I woke up and realized Paena was missing. But she came back a minute ago—she's fine. We've just been discussing things."

"Like what?" Zharil asked, moving toward the entrance of the den to sniff the fresh morning air.

"Nothing much," Paena answered. Then she sighed. "Thanks for protecting me. I feel a lot safer now."

"No problem, Paena." Aleu laid her head on Paena's shoulder.

Paena only grinned. _Step one is complete._


	6. Chapter 6

VI

Jenna peered worriedly through the doorway, her ears pricked forward to catch whatever Rosy's father was saying. She sighed as she heard the news.

"So tell me what they told you a few weeks ago," Rosy's mother said.

Jenna lowered her head sadly, but she kept listening—she knew it was impossible to change things.

"…so he said they can't really…afford to pay me," the man was saying. "What with the drop in the economy, they're firing people everywhere. He told me there was nothing I can do about it, and they're really sorry about it, but there's just not enough money to go around."

Rosy's mother glanced at her husband, placing a soft hand on is shoulder. Jenna noticed she looked concerned. "What are we going to do?" the woman asked, her voice slightly strained. "I mean, we're still paying off from the…epidemic."

Rosy's father sighed. "I guess—I guess we have no choice. We'll need to move."

"But where can we go?" the woman asked, standing and wrapping her arms tightly around her husband.

"Well," Rosy's father said, "I guess this is our lucky day. I found an office up in Gantuk that seems to have a spot or two open."

"Gantuk? Isn't that up north?"

"It's not too far—only about seventy miles," the man answered, leaning back and clasping his fingers behind his head.

"When should we leave?"

"The boat leaves tomorrow. If all goes well, we should get there by Wednesday," he said.

"I'll go tell Rosy to pack her things," the woman told him. "She might not like the news, though." She walked over and began to climb the stairs to the upper level.

"As long as we can take Jenna, she'll probably be fine," the man called back over his shoulder."

_I need to tell Balto_, Jenna thought. She turned, and darted from the house, ignoring Rosy's exclamations of shock as she heard the news.

"Balto!" she called once she reached the boat. "Balto!"

"Jenna?" Balto asked, a concerned tone in his voice. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" He quickly appeared on the deck of the trawler and leapt directly to the ground.

"No," Jenna responded, the heartbroken tone still in her voice. "I'm fine, but—but something's wrong."

"Did Steele do something? Is Rosy okay?"

"Balto, Rosy's fine. But she—her family's going to move."

"What? Where?"

Jenna sighed. "A place called Gantuk. They said it's almost a hundred miles from here."

Balto's anxiety faded, but his expression was replaced by one of sadness and disbelief. "Why?" he said. "Don't you guys love it here?"

"You know I love you, Balto," Jenna answered. "They love being here, but they can't stay here any more. Rosy's father lost his job last week, and they can't afford to stay here."

"Well, look on the bright side," Balto pointed out. "You won't have to worry about Steele any more."

"No, Balto, you don't understand," Jenna said, tears welling up in her eyes. "I have to leave. I can't be with you any more." She buried her head in his chest, sobbing.

Balto leaned down to nuzzle her, hoping to comfort her with his gentle touch. "It's okay," he said. "Life takes its course, and sometimes we need to leave the ones we love."

"B—but—" Jenna said, her voice muffled slightly.

"Just know that I won't forget you," Balto continued, touching his cheek to hers. "It doesn't matter whether you're a hundred miles away or a thousand. I'll be here."

"Oh, Balto." Jenna whimpered and nuzzled into his chest once more.

"Just remember me," Balto whispered. He pulled back and gazed into her soft amber eyes, wishing more than anything that she would stay.

"Goodbye, Balto," Jenna told him after a moment of silence. She pulled away, giving him one last heartbroken look, and disappeared into Nome.

"Is everything packed up?" Rosy's father asked the next day as they approached the dock.

"Yeah, I have my stuff," Rosy replied, breathing heavily as she carried two large bags.

"Good," her father answered. "C'mon, Jenna," he said suddenly, giving a yank on the dog's leash.

Jenna whimpered slightly as she felt the pull—she was scanning the crowd, hoping to catch one last glimpse of Balto before she was torn away from him forever. Even as her master pulled her closer, she noticed a familiar brown shape amid the dozens of people that crowded the streets.

The ship's horn suddenly sounded behind her, and Rosy's father only pulled her leash harder, forcing her away. "Balto!" she called frantically. "Balto!" She whimpered again as she was pulled onto the ship.

Balto bounded through the crowd and reached the dock just in time to see Rosy and her family board the ship, an anxious-looking Jenna in tow. "Good…goodbye," he said softly.

The ship's captain sounded the horn again and began to pull out to sea. Balto leapt to the side and narrowly avoided a kick from a porter before beginning the return to his boat.

Jenna sighed as she gazed longingly at the spot where Balto had been standing. She jumped, stepping backward, as Rosy's father landed a firm hand on the side of her face.

"Wt were you thinking?" the man asked her. "We barely made it on!" Noting Jenna's pained expression, he softened his voice. "Sorry about that," he added, kneeling and scratching her behind the ears.

Jenna only turned away and laid her head on the rough wooden deck, lifting a forepaw and massaging her stinging cheek. _Oh, Balto…._


	7. Chapter 7

VII

Nome was bathed in dim twilight as Balto lay inside his trawler. He slowly peeked out from under his blanket, not really caring who or what was around him. It was the same old boat—the same rough wood, the same blanket; the same old town outside. But it was a different town—Jenna was not there any more, and she would never be there again.

For once, Muk and Luk were somewhere else, and Boris had been gone for months on his trip with Stella. _As annoying as he can be sometimes,_ Balto thought with a sigh, _what I wouldn't give to see him right now. Certainly not Jenna._

He stared intently at one beam of the deck, studying the grain of the wood as it meandered across the surface. Here one tiny ridge merged with another; here they all split around a small knot, here—

_Who am I kidding?_ Balto thought, sighing again. "I need to tell someone," he finally whispered to himself. "But who? Aleu's out doing who-knows-what with her pack, Kodi and Buldir are out on runs, Saba and Andreanof are with their team…. It's been long enough since the diphtheria epidemic that nobody remembers enough to care."

Balto looked out over the ocean: the sun had just slipped past the distant horizon, and the few rays that were still visible tinted the sky a deep purple. A few wispy clouds hovered above the azure water, but soon it all turned to gradual blackness as the last light of day faded to nothing.

Balto lay in the blackness, striving to keep from thinking about Jenna. The thoughts and memories raced around his mind, taunting him with the endless possibilities of where his life might go now. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to keep the thoughts from his mind.

Finally, he let out an enormous growl and laid his head back on the floor, sobbing heavily. _She's…._ The tears flowed down his muzzle, dripping onto the floor and spreading in a puddle around his head.

Soon he was asleep.

_It was nearly midnight, and hundreds of stars shone down from the sky, illuminating the stormy ocean below. The bow of a ship was visible poking out of the water, but the rest appeared to be submerged. Hundreds of people filled the water around the ship, flailing and screaming frantically for help._

_Even as Balto watched, a huge explosion shook the air, and a massive ball of flame erupted from the ship, sending smoldering fragments of wood and metal everywhere. Several people were struck by the debris, and their bloody bodies slowly sank beneath the surface, never to be seen again._

_Just then, Balto caught sight of a dog struggling to stay afloat amid the chaos. He could hear faint cries coming from the figure, but they were not what attracted him to the noise—it was the voice. He knew that voice, recognized it. He had known that voice for most of his life._

_Jenna! He squinted down at the husky, trying to keep track of her through the throngs of people in the icy water. He cringed as he saw that she was bleeding from a large wound in the side of her neck—probably from a piece of shrapnel. He could hear her anguished cries, too: She was calling desperately for Rosy, but no reply came._

_Then Jenna grabbed onto a floating piece of debris, and Balto could tell by the sound of her voice that she was becoming weaker by the second._

"_C'mon, Jenna!" Balto whispered, though he knew she would never hear him. "You can make it. Think of me; think of everyone else back home."_

_But even as he watched her climb onto the debris, he could tell that she would not be able to hold out much longer._

_Soon Jenna's cries became more forced, spaced farther apart. She stumbled as her paw slipped, and she was nearly thrown into the frigid water._

_He heard Jenna yelp as she slipped backward even further, and he cringed when her hindquarters became immersed in the icy liquid. He saw her tense and stiffen, and she struggled to lift herself once again. Then the husky whimpered and hoisted herself onto the scrap of wood, curling up and resting her soaked tail over her muzzle. She groaned as a small wave lapped over her, drenching her and chilling her to the bones. Her body shook and trembled relentlessly, and a moan escaped her half-open mouth._

_Balto could only watch in horror as the life slowly seeped out of his mate. He wanted more than anything to save her, even to comfort her, but he knew there was nothing he could do. He was trapped within his own mind, and Jenna was dying. He was here, in Nome, and she was miles away._

_With a gasp, he turned his attention back to Jenna. He could barely resist shutting his eyes as he saw a massive wave rise up and crash over her, sending a spray of icy droplets everywhere. When the water cleared, she was gone._

_Balto began to search the water frantically. He saw Jenna flailing in the water, but she became almost limp. Seconds before she sank beneath the water, she slipped her bandanna over her head and left it floating above her._

_Then she disappeared._

"Jenna!" Balto yelled aloud, now fully awake. He immediately felt tears well up in his eyes, and he broke down. "Oh, Jenna…."

Suddenly a voice sounded from somewhere in front of him: "Be at peace, my son."

Balto looked upward, blinking a few times to stifle the tears, and saw Aniu sitting a few feet away. The goddess seemed to shimmer in the night air, and she stared down at him with brilliant yellow eyes.

"M—m…mother?" Balto asked in disbelief, his voice reduced to a whisper.

"You must go, my son," Aniu said, nodding. "Follow your love to Gantuk."

"But—but she's gone!" Balto said. "She's dead—she drowned. Why should I follow her if I'll never reach her? Why should I follow her if she isn't there?"

Aniu only stared down at him. "You must only believe," she stated simply. Then she lifted her head in a howl, the haunting note fading to silence as she disappeared in a cloud of mist.


	8. Chapter 8

VIII

"Wait—Aniu, what do you mean?" Balto asked quietly. He received no response.

_I have to believe Jenna is still alive,_ he thought. _My dream—maybe it hasn't happened yet. But she should get there tomorrow—will it happen then? But I can't go all the way to Gantuk by tomorrow—I'd have to sprint constantly._

He sighed. _I might as well just leave now—nobody's going to miss me._ Standing and drooping his head toward the ground, he proceeded down the gangplank of his trawler and turned northward.

As he began his journey, Balto inhaled deeply, relishing the feel of the chilled morning air. When he reached the edge of the beach, he decided to pass through Nome rather than circumnavigate it—he knew this could be the last time he would ever see the town. The streets were dark and empty, and there was no sign of life other than the lanterns left burning in the brackets. The dark buildings, so familiar and inviting to him during the day, were intimidating in the darkness, looming over him with blank windows.

Nearing the far side of town, Balto deliberately made his way to the house where Rosy had been living only two days before. This building, unlike the others in Nome, still held the feeling of warmth it had had while occupied. But that was no surprise: Balto had been here countless times. It was here that he and Jenna had decided to become mates, here that their first and only litter had been born. It was here that he had always come when in need of comfort. And now it was empty.

Almost lost in the memories, Balto approached the front door and touched his nose to the cool wood. "I will never forget," he whispered to himself. Then he stepped back, lowered his head in a kind of bow, and resumed his journey.

Dawn came within an hour, and the sun cast dozens of blinding rays over the mountains to the east. With the dawn came a breathtaking spectacle that Balto had only imagined.

In front of him lay a massive expanse of tundra. Every step, every motion, brought a new pattern of glittering dots as the sunlight reflected off the frozen ground, casting everything into the light of the sparkling snow. In the distance, the dark waters of the Bering Sea stretched to the western horizon. To the east and distant north, the terrain gradually formed into rolling foothills and veldts, and the tree line gave way to a massive mountain range. The steep, rocky slopes of the mountains seemed to reach to the clouds, and many of the peaks were capped with more snow and ice.

A breeze came down from the mountains to the east, ruffling Balto's fur. Just then, he became aware of another sound that meshed pleasantly with the all-too-familiar noises of the ocean: it was the birds. Dozens of songs reached his ears simultaneously, creating a cacophony of melodic tones.

However, Balto did not allow the peaceful surroundings to distract him. The miles passed by beneath his padding feet, and he had only his thoughts to accompany him on the journey. From time to time, the wolfdog would entertain himself with some improvised game, but his mind was constantly centered on a single thought: find Jenna.

It was dark when Balto neared the base of the mountains. He knew Gantuk was on the other side, still about forty miles away, but soon he would need to rest.

Here the tundra gave way to a thick forest that blanketed the foothills surrounding the mountains. Balto continued into the forest for another few miles, searching for a place to sleep. He finally selected a soft patch of moss beneath a large conifer. He lay down and curled up in a crevice between two root structures. Then he tucked his muzzle under his tail, and soon he was asleep.

Balto awoke the next morning to a threatening growl, and he looked up quickly to see a wolf snarling down at him. The wolf, female by its scent, was a light gray in color, and she had several jagged scars just below her right eye.

"Who are you?" the wolf asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I—I'm just passing through," Balto said. "My name is Balto."

She flicked a claw at Balto's throat and leaned closer, her bared teeth an inch from his face. "Are you sure?"

"Y-yes," Balto replied, his voice cracking slightly. "I told you, I'm just passing through."

"To where?" the wolf asked sharply.

"G-Gantuk," Balto answered. As he stared at the wolf, something about her face seemed familiar. He knew it was the scars on her cheek, but he just could not place it.

"Where did you come from?" the wolf questioned again, continuing her interrogation.

"Nome," Balto responded. "Wait, what's your name?"

"Not that it matters," she answered, "but I'm Lyrie."

"Lyrie," Balto repeated. Then his face lit up in an expression of recognition. "I'm—I'm your brother."

Lyrie stepped back in surprise and lowered her claw. "What?" she asked, puzzled.

"Lyrie…I—I think you're my sister," Balto said.

"What did you say your name was again?" Lyrie asked.

"Balto."

Lyrie cocked her head, but soon she rushed in and nuzzled him. "Balto!" she exclaimed. "How did you get here?"


	9. Chapter 9

IX

Balto tensed when Lyrie leapt at him, but he soon relaxed slightly. "It's a long story," he told her. "But really, I need to go." He began to walk away, glancing back at her over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Lyrie asked. "Can't you wait for a few minutes?" She stared at him longingly, a saddened expression on her face. "Where were you?"

Balto stopped, sighing, and turned back to face her. "My mate. I'm trying to save her."

Lyrie gasped. "Your mate? What happened?"

"You can come with me if you want," Balto told her, temporarily avoiding the question. He turned north again and walked off, Lyrie following close behind.

"So what happened with…with your mate?" Lyrie asked again, stepping over a tree root.

"Her owners moved from Nome to Gantuk," Balto explained reluctantly. "But I had a dream that she drowned."

"Owners?"

"She's a husky," Balto answered. "Her name is Jenna."

Lyrie cocked her head slightly. "So why didn't you and your mate—Jenna—why didn't you go with her?"

"I couldn't," Balto replied. "Even after I saved Rosy, they would still never take me in. Everything I did for Rosy, and they still wouldn't adopt me. I had to live on my boat all my life."

"You have a boat?" Lyrie asked, bewildered. "How'd you manage that?"

"No, it's not like that," Balto said, failing to suppress a chuckle. "This goose named Boris took me in when I was a pup, and I just…sort of…ended up living with him on this trawler that washed up years ago."

Lyrie smiled, raising an eyebrow. "You were adopted by a goose?"

"Heh…yeah," Balto responded flatly. "So where did you go?"

"Here and there," Lyrie answered. "I just decided to leave—I was sick of everything not making sense. You know: Ara and Dad, and then Galena going off with Duran—it was just too much for me. I just began to wonder if I was even supposed to be alive, or if Anok should have killed me that day. I had no idea if you and Mom had been killed, no idea if Galena was still alive." Here she paused, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I know the feeling," Balto said, stopping and nuzzling her. "I used to always wonder if you and Galena were okay. At least I know you're alive now."

Lyrie grinned slightly and leaned against her brother's shoulder. She sniffed a few times and then continued. "Then—then, a few years ago, I met someone. We were just friends, but he—he was the only thing that kept me going. He had a mate, a son, and it was just so encouraging to know that that was what I could have."

Balto looked up and noticed that they were entering a lower, more forested part of the mountain range. "Yeah," he said absently.

"I remember I always used to play with them," Lyrie continued. "I spent so much time with them that it was almost like I was part of their family."

"What were their names?" Balto asked. "I might know them."

Lyrie sighed. "I don't really know his mate's name, but he was Jarak, and their son was called Iqsi."

"So…what happened?" Balto asked quietly. "Where are they now?"

"I don't know where Iqsi and his mother are right now," Lyrie answered a moment later, lowering her head slightly. "But—but one day, Iqsi's mother came to me and told me that Jarak had been killed in a bear attack. She said she didn't know where Iqsi was, and she thought he had been killed too. Then she just…left…."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Balto said after a second. "It must have been hard for you."

"Not really," Lyrie replied, sighing. "You should know I don't break that easily."

"Yeah, I guess so," Balto replied. "Sometimes, I used to wonder how you could take all that—I mean, what Anok did to you. Heh…I'm sure I couldn't."

Lyrie shrugged. "I guess it's just part of who I am."

"That reminds me," Balto said. "I'd like to see Aleu again one of these days. I haven't seen her since she left with the wolf pack."

Lyrie shot him a questioning glance. "Aleu?"

"My daughter," Balto explained.

Lyrie gasped suddenly, and Balto immediately turned to her. "What is it?"

"The—the trail," she said. She stared ahead, and Balto saw what she meant.

The wide path ended abruptly, turning to a steep, rough drop-off just in front. At the bottom, hundreds of feet below, lay an enormous pile of jagged rubble. Massive boulders littered the floor of the small canyon, several more than a yard across. To the right, side of the mountain continued in a steep rock face for about seventy yards before joining a ledge on the opposite side.

"There…must have been a landslide," Lyrie stated quietly. She stepped forward, until her toes hung over the edge, and stretched her neck to the left. "I see a ledge about two feet wide. It's about a four-foot jump to it, though, and I can't see where it goes after that. Should we try it?"

"Might as well," Balto told her.

In response, Lyrie stepped to the edge of the cliff, performed a kind of hopping leap, and landed cleanly on the other side.

Balto stepped to the edge himself, crouching and preparing to leap. _Here goes nothing,_ he thought, and he threw himself toward the ledge.

The second he left the ground, he heard Lyrie shouting to him. "Balto, no!"


	10. Chapter 10

X

Paena lay awake one night, staring at the sky beyond the confines of the den. It was well past midnight, and she had heard no noises for the past several hours. The sleeping forms of Aleu and Zharil sat beside her, unmoving except for their steadily-moving chests.

Still glancing at the sky, Paena stood and left the cave. She took the same route that she had once before, and it was only a few minutes until she once again stood at the entrance to Tuunbaaq's den. "Master," she said softly, lowering her head.

"Paena," the gruff voice came from inside. "What is it?"

Paena entered slowly. "I have devised a strategy," she began, "for our overthrow of the Anyaris."

"And what might that be?" Tuunbaaq hissed, his voice filled with venom.

"We need to send a wolf out tomorrow, let it be seen. They'll be thrown into chaos—what if they were wrong after all, and they should have killed me? Their pack will fall apart, and I—" She stopped as Tuunbaaq cut her off, and beckoned her to come closer.

"Not here," the wolf said roughly.

Paena stepped forward and whispered the rest of her plan into Tuunbaaq's ear.

"Very well," Tuunbaaq remarked. "Possibly risky, but I will make it work. You are dismissed," he added suddenly.

Paena turned to leave, but she stopped when Tuunbaaq spoke again.

"You!" the Alpha barked, roughly grabbing another wolf by the neck. "Follow her, and make sure someone knows you're there!"

The wolf tentatively stood and walked over to Paena, who whispered additional directions into its ear. Then Paena led him to the surface world.

"Stay here," she told him when they arrived at the crucial location. "Wait until morning to do anything. But whatever you do, don't kill the female." then she darted off into the woods without another word.

"And now step two has begun," she said to herself once she reached Aleu's den. She gazed at the Alpha of the Anyaris with contempt before falling asleep once more.

"Aleu! Something's wrong!" a voice came the next morning, startling the leader from her sleep.

"W—whahhhh?" Aleu asked groggily.

"It's Nuk!" Sarol said anxiously. "Some wolf is going to kill him!"

"Wait, what?" Aleu asked, now completely awake. She scrambled to her feet, and the pregnant Sarol led her to the nursery. When they arrived, however, nobody else was there.

"Are you sure you saw someone?" Aleu asked, confused.

"I swear I saw another wolf here," Sarol explained quickly. "I woke up and saw someone with a claw to his throat. I managed to fight him off somehow, and then I went to get you. I have no idea where he is now."

"Well, keep an eye our for him if he comes back," Aleu said, "and try to fend him off. Is Nuk here still?"

"I'm right here," Nuk said from inside the den. He stepped out and nuzzled Sarol. Then he turned to Aleu. "I really thought I was going to die."

"Just as long as these guys don't die," Sarol replied warmly, motioning toward her swollen belly.

"Yes," Nuk said. "As long as they do not die." He rubbed his head across her chest, and the pair entered the den once more.

Aleu only turned away, sighing.

"I hope you guys stay safe," she called after them. "I'll do whatever I can to stop it though." With that, she left the nursery and returned to her own den.

Paena was waiting for her when she arrived. "Is something wrong, Aleu?" the young wolf asked. "You seem stressed."

"Yes," Aleu replied. "But it's really nothing you need to know."

"Can I go explore again, then?" Paena looked up at her with bright, hopeful eyes.

"No!" Aleu shouted forcefully. "I mean, no. It's not safe right now."

Paena cocked her head to the side. "W-what do you mean? What's going on?" A nervous tone crept into her voice as she said this.

Aleu inhaled deeply and then sighed. "Sarol spotted a wolf in the nursery this morning. He wasn't from our pack."

"So? Why does that matter?"

"No, you don't understand!" Aleu told her, becoming increasingly desperate. "It means we're not alone—it means…there might be others here. There might even be a whole other pack—it doesn't matter if we've only seen one."

"But what if he's like me?" Paena asked. "What if he was separated from his family and almost drowned like me?"

Aleu placed a heavy forepaw on the side of Paena's neck. "No," she repeated. "The wolf is a killer! Sarol said he was trying to kill her and Nuk!"

"Why was it them, though?"

"I don't know, and that's the problem!" Aleu yelled, exasperated, "Do you know how important Sarol is to the pack right now?"

Paena's answer was simple. "No. How important is she?"

"She's the only pregnant female right now," Aleu said, still raising her voice. "If she dies before her pups are born and raised, we die out! Sarun is too old, and I haven't gotten lucky with Zharil yet. Sarol is out only chance of survival!"

"What are you going to do?" the young female asked.

Aleu shook her head. "I don't know," she said. For the first time, a hint of hopelessness entered her voice. "We need to catch him—that much is obvious—but after that, what? We have no idea how many there are, or where he came from." Then she stepped forward and placed a paw on Paena's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Paena," she said. "I'm sorry you had to come here at this time."

Paena nuzzled against Aleu's chest. "I'll manage," she told her. "It's alright."

Aleu sighed again. "Hold on," she said. "Go somewhere right now, entertain yourself, but don't get hurt. I need some time to think."

"Alright," Paena said, exiting the den.

Aleu lay on her belly, shaking her head. _I just don't know what to do,_ she thought. _This could be the end of the Anyaris._


	11. Chapter 11

XI

It was dark. The full moon peeked out from behind a cloud in the western sky, and only a few dim stars were visible. The air was quiet: the only sounds were the occasional birdsongs that would flutter through the air. It was cool, and there was no wind.

Aleu and Zharil lay awake, unable to fall asleep. Their bodies were no more than faint outlines in the suffocating darkness, but they each felt a certain comfort in the other's presence that contrasted with the current situation. The two wolves were positioned between Paena and the entrance so as to protect her from any danger.

Aleu sighed. "What should we do?"

Zharil was barely visible shaking his head. "I'm not sure," he answered. "I don't know if we can do anything right now except keep an eye out for the wolf and wait."

"But we should look for it," Aleu said. "We need to hunt it down. It's dangerous to have it wander around here unchecked."

"How are we going to hunt it down, though? This island is pretty big, and there aren't very many of us. It could take weeks, and we don't have weeks."

Aleu whimpered slightly. "You're right. There's also what Paena said," she added. "What if the wolf is like her? Chances are that we'd have found more by now. What if the wolf was separated from his family?"

"We don't know that," Zharil told her. "Nuk and Sarol are the only ones who have even seen him, and they've told us everything they know."

"There's still a chance, though. In that case, we can't hunt him down unless we kill Paena as well. He wouldn't have any reason to kill Sarol or Nuk anyway. Maybe it's all a misunder—"

"Wait," Zharil interrupted. "If the wolf is like Paena, what if she's like he is? What if she's out to kill us?"

Startled at the implication, Aleu leaned back slightly. "What are you talking about?" she asked. "How is that possible?"

"No, I'm just saying," Zharil said, shifting to the defensive. "What if Paena isn't what she seems to be? You've been really protective of her lately, and I don't want it to turn into a mistake."

"I've been protective of her because she needs us!" Aleu said sharply, raising her voice. "Do you have no sympathy for Paena? Do you have any idea what she went through?"

The wolf sighed. "No, I don't," he said. "I'm just not sure if I believe Paena anymore."

Aleu looked at him, longingly though she could not see his face. "Has she done anything to us?" she asked. "Does she have any reason to do anything?" She glanced at Paena and then looked back to Zharil. "Why would Paena have anything against us? We're the only family she has."

"You remember a few weeks ago, I take it?" Zharil asked forcefully. "She almost tore our pack apart! But no, you had to keep her here. Nobody matters more than a tired little wolf pup with a few scratches on her tender little face, huh? How many other wolves could there be?"

"Are you saying you don't trust me?" Aleu said suddenly. "I'm doing my best to keep the Anyaris together, okay? In case you haven't noticed, I'm kind of having a hard time right now! What if I'm pregnant now? Will you trust me that it's yours? Pups matter, Zharil. What if my Papa didn't think I mattered? I wouldn't be here, and you would have died out once Nava was killed."

"We'll die out anyway if we're killed by Paena and everyone else!" Zharil said, his voice becoming desperate. "I trust you there. I know you'd never do that to me."

"Then how do I know you trust me?" Aleu shot back. If you think I can't judge about Paena, who's to say I chose the right mate?" She grunted, exasperated, and laid her head in her forepaws.

"No—Aleu—it's not that I don't trust you," he said quickly, moving over to her and nuzzling into his mate's cheek.

Aleu only pulled away from him. "Leave me alone," she said through clenched teeth. "It's over unless you can do something." She forced herself to her feet and padded to the back of the cave, where she allowed herself to fall heavily to the ground.

"A-Aleu..." Zharil said quietly. "Aleu, no…."

Aleu only ignored him. She deliberately struck her head against the wall, not caring when she cut her cheek on a sharp piece of rock. She felt tears welling up in her eyes, and they spilled down her face as she began to sob.

"Aleu…."

Soon they were both asleep.

Paena, who had been awake the entire time, finally stood. She glanced back at Aleu for a moment before stepping over Zharil and exiting the den. She chuckled as she glared at the male's sleeping form. "How close you came," she sneered. Fighting off the urge to kill him, she walked away without another word.

It was only a few minutes before Paena arrived at Tuunbaaq's den. Something was different, however: everyone in the Ravista was lined up to the side, all of them massive and muscular. A quick sweep of the faces revealed glinting eyes, pinned-back ears, and fangs dripping with saliva.

"Paena!" Tuunbaaq suddenly barked. "Updates?"

"I've noticed a lot of tension between the leaders," Paena began. "One of them almost caught on, but he stopped just short, thanks to Aleu."

"Should we attack now?"

"Now."

A deafening rumble of thunder boomed across the sky, and a bolt of flame struck the ground just outside. The area combusted into a tower of fire and smoke, but it soon lifted to reveal an enormous, dark-colored wolf. Its head was cloaked in impenetrable shadows, hiding its identity.

Paena and Tuunbaaq only stopped to gaze at the massive wolf. A sense of power emanated from the creature, and all the wolves dipped their heads for a second or two.

Then the wolf spoke in a deep, masculine tone: "Tuunbaaq, Paena! I will aid you in destroying the Anyaris."

Paena shivered as she felt a tingling sensation in her chest that gave way to the feeling of warm energy. She turned to Tuunbaaq and saw that he was reacting in much the same way.

"Use it as you see fit," the dark wolf added. Then he erupted into fire and disappeared.

Tuunbaaq blinked and looked to Paena. "Now?" he repeated.

"Now."

Paena saw the wolves charge forward as Tuunbaaq shouted orders among them. _Now it begins,_ she thought. _Step two is complete._


	12. Chapter 12

XII

Aleu awoke the next morning feeling as if something was wrong. She sat up and looked around the cave, sniffing and taking in the chilly morning air. Soon she realized what it was.

"Zharil!" she whispered urgently, doing her best to wake up her mate. "Paena's gone!"

"What?" Zharil asked, his eyes half-open.

"Paena—she's gone. I'm going to find her."

"No, Aleu—wait. We have no idea where she could be, where she's going. I'll give you this: remember a few weeks ago when you thought she was missing? She came back within a minute."

Suddenly Aleu's eyes changed from their normal blue; her irises disappeared. Her mouth hung half-open, and she began to sway from side to side.

"Aleu?" Zharil asked, concerned. "Aleu, are you alright?" He resisted the urge to nudge her.

Several seconds later, Aleu's eyes turned normal again. "What?"

"Are you okay, Aleu?" Zharil asked her. "You went all…trance-y for a minute there."

Aleu shook her head. "I just have a bad feeling about…about something. Something's going to happen today—I just don't know what it is. And I'm not sure if I'll know what to do about it when it does."

Zharil's expression changed to one of concern. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Is it something to do with Paena?"

"I'm not sure," Aleu said, averting her eyes. "I just know today isn't going to go down well." She looked at him again. "Someone is going to get hurt or killed today. I can just feel it."

"Wh-what?" Zharil asked, caught off guard. "Why? We don't have a hunt planned today, and there's no reason anyone would get hurt unless—" His voice broke off. "I'm getting Paena," he said quickly. Then he turned and ran from the den.

"Zharil, wait," Aleu said, beginning to follow him. She stopped when she received no response and resolved to simply wait for his return.

Zharil returned several minutes later, but he was alone. "I couldn't find her," the wolf said. "Tell everyone to be on alert."

"Why?" Aleu asked. "I'm sure she's just exploring. She did that all the time a few weeks ago, and you had no problem with it. What makes now any different?" She shrugged and looked at him indifferently.

"So she's been exploring in the middle of the night?" Zharil questioned. "Explain that. I don't know why you would be fine with her out alone, especially when almost half the pack has wanted to kill her since she arrived here."

Aleu shook her head. "I don't know," she said softly.

"Listen, Aleu," Zharil said, staring at her firmly and making eye contact. "If you can get us all through this, keep us alive, then everything will be fine. But if not, I'll—" He sighed. "I'll have to leave you. I'm sorry, it's just that I don't want you to get us all killed. There's too much at stake here for it to lie on you trusting Paena. Imagine…imagine if we were destroyed, if everyone you love was killed because you trusted the wrong person. I'm just not willing to risk that."

"Zharil. W-what?" Aleu pressed her chin against her chest, and tears welled up in her eyes. "Don't—don't talk about that right now," she added, raising her voice. "It's hard enough to have to deal with Paena without having to deal with you as well!"

"Aleu," Zharil said sternly. "I've done nothing to you, never done anything, and I never will as long as I can help it." He stepped forward and nuzzled her. "I'm sorry, but it's just how it is. I can help you deal with this—I need to. But I need you to let me."

Aleu lifted her gaze but said nothing.

"Help me help you," Zharil told her, placing a paw on his mate's shoulder. "They won't be there for you; they won't see what you're going through. I know you feel attached to Paena, but you can't put her before the interests of the Anyaris."

Aleu sighed. "One day," she began, "one day we'll need to leave this island. It's going to have something to do with today."

"Where can we go?" Zharil asked. "There's no other land for miles around."

"I'm not sure," Aleu said. The thing is…. We won't all need to move. Most of us are going to die."

"Because of Paena? Because of your trust in her?" Zharil glared at her, pricking his ears forward.

"I…I can't tell," Aleu said. "I don't think there's anything we can do right now except wait for Paena to come back."

"Aleu!" a startled voice interrupted her. "It's Nuk! There are more wolves!"

Aleu turned to see Paena standing in the entrance to the den. She was bleeding from a row of scratches on her left cheek, and she leaned heavily on her right foreleg.

Aleu and Zharil immediately leapt to their feet and followed Paena to the nursery.

As Aleu ran, she noticed a gash just behind Paena's right eye that extended down to her cheekbone, and that the wolf seemed to have a limp in her left shoulder. "What happened?" she asked, not slowing her pace.

"I was just talking to Nuk and Sarol," Paena explained, "and—" she paused for breath—"and then a bunch of wolves came charging out of the woods. I don't know who they are, but they started attacking Sarol. Nuk was able to hold them off for a bit, but—but I don't know if they're still alive."

They reached the nursery within several more seconds. Aleu gasped when she saw the aftermath.

Nuk and Sarol both lay on their sides, each bleeding from several wounds. Droplets of spattered blood dotted the ground and walls of the small den.

Zharil immediately stepped forward to examine the wolves' wounds. He sniffed Sarol a few times, peering at some of the wider gashes. "Sarol's alive," he said after a moment. "Nuk survived too."

Aleu stepped forward as well, allowing Paena to walk beside her. She padded over to stand between the wolves and the den and stared at Sarol's face. "Survived?" she asked. Even so, she knew not to place too much trust in her eyes.

Sarol's face was covered in cuts and bruises. A long gash ran across her forehead, and her muzzle was badly bruised. Her cheeks were covered in blood, and a trickle of red ran from her nose. Her right ear was badly torn, and several wounds traced down the back of her neck.

Nuk had met no better fate. The left side of his muzzle was nearly ripped open, and his lips were torn and bloody. His forelegs and shoulders were littered with several small wounds, and a massive gash ran down his side. His right flank was cut as well, and his left ankle was bent oddly.

"This has gone too far," Aleu said. "We need to do something, and fast."

"Wait, Paena," Zharil interrupted, "you said there were a lot of wolves?"

"Yeah, probably about four or five."

Zharil examined the wounds again. "Sounds like it. There's no way one wolf could do this by himself."

"But then who were the other wolves?" Aleu asked. "And Paena, what happened to you?"

"Hold on," Zharil said suddenly, sniffing again. "They're back."


	13. Chapter 13

XIII

As he leapt, Balto fixed his eyes on the ledge beneath Lyrie's feet, trying to judge the best place to land. He saw his sister struggle to push herself backward and press against the wall even as his forepaws touched the ledge. Then he leaned to the left, crashing into her as he tried to retain his momentum. His head crashed against the rock as his hind legs slipped off the edge, and the siblings lay there for several seconds.

"Didn't you hear me?" Lyrie asked, panting. "You could have gotten both of us killed."

"Yeah, I just…couldn't stop in time," Balto replied. "Sorry about that."

Lyrie chuckled. "Yeah, you're apologizing for almost killing us. You're lucky I didn't get hurt, seeing as I'm your way out of here." She glared at him sternly.

Balto only looked at her meekly, too embarrassed to speak.

"Either way," Lyrie said after a pause, "apology accepted." She stood near the wall ant turned to him again. "Well, we should probably get going."

Balto slowly got to his feet, ignoring the pain in his head. "What are we waiting for?" he asked rhetorically.

Lyrie led the way, and Balto accepted that fact; there was no way he was going to pass her on the narrow ledge. Even so, he could not keep his eyes from the ravine only a few inches to his right. The drop taunted him, made him nervous. One misstep and—

He was interrupted by Lyrie's voice: "Watch it here; this is kind of tricky."

Balto glanced at the place Lyrie was pointing to, and he knew that she was right—the ledge was broken slightly, and the next flat part was several inches higher. He carefully stepped over, looking anywhere but down. But a sharp rock formation caught his eye, and he began to lose balance. Panicking, he threw himself to the left before something caught his shoulder.

It was Lyrie. "Thanks for that," Balto told her, and Lyrie nodded wordlessly.

The miles passed under their feet, and the sun gradually moved across the sky. As the yellow disk sank, the air cooled, and the sky acquired a fain reddish tint.

Balto enjoyed the scenery, and for more than one reason: it helped to divert his mind from their current location. His mind shifted to Jenna then, on what she might be doing at that moment. _It's getting late,_ he thought, _so maybe she's with Rosy at their new house. I can't wait to get there, to see her again. Even though it's only been a few days, it feels like an eternity…._

Lyrie yelped in front of him, and he threw himself forward as quickly as he could.

Part of the ledge had given way beneath her, and both her hind legs had slipped off and were hanging over empty space.

"You okay?" Balto asked, concerned.

"Yep," Lyrie responded, struggling to pull herself up. But her paws could not get a grip, and she began to slide farther down.

"Hold on," Balto said, "I'm coming." He stepped over to her and grasped her hid leg in his jaws. Straining his muscles, he lifted Lyrie's hindquarters and moved them over to solid ground.

Lyrie sighed, relieved, and turned to him. "Thank you," she said.

"Heh," Balto answered. "It's what I do."

Lyrie opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came. "We're almost there," she said after a pause. "The sun is almost down, anyway."

"Alright," Balto said. "About how much further?"

"A few more miles, as long as I remember correctly."

About an hour passed before the pair finally turned a corner and Gantuk was revealed in the distance. Even from so far away, Balto could tell the city was very different from Nome. Instead of the largely wooden buildings in Nome, most of Gantuk seemed to be constructed of stone, and the city lay on a shallow peninsula that extended a few hundred yards into the ocean. much of the land to the east was flat and snow-covered, but the occasional shrub dotted the barren landscape where no trees would grow. It was much the same to the north, save for the even more apparent lack of vegetation. The choppy ocean to the west extended as far as the eye could see, and the horizon was dark with the twilight. Sea and sky bordered almost seamlessly.

Even as Balto looked, he noticed a small blur that appeared to be moving toward the city from the southeast; whoever it was, they had found a pass a mile or so to the east and circumnavigated the mountains. On closer inspection, the shape was revealed to be a dog team, but the dogs were too small to make out in great detail.

Balto and Lyrie wordlessly continued their journey to Gantuk, padding along the path down toward the town. Travel was easier now that the ledge was wider and sloped downward—although Balto felt that it was because he was now closer to Jenna.

"Let's pick it up," Lyrie said. "We only have half an hour until total darkness, and you don't want to be stuck out here at night."

Balto glanced upward and saw that, once again, Lyrie was right. The sky had darkened considerably, and the ravine to his right was now cast into deep shadow. He quickened his pace to a jog, and he saw Lyrie do the same beside him.

It was twenty-five minutes or so before they entered the town; the only light now was that of the lanterns hung outside every door. Nobody was visible on the outskirts of town, so Balto and Lyrie carefully ventured inside.

"Where are they?" Balto wondered aloud. "They should at least be here right now."

"What do they look like?" Lyrie asked. "I'll let you know if I see them."

"Jenna's a copper husky," Balto began. "You can't miss her bandanna. Rosy's a human, obviously. She has long, darker hair, and she's about—" he reared back and placed his forelegs several feet up the wall of a building—"this tall."

"Wolves!" a sudden shout came from inside a nearby house. A figure was visible rising and hurrying to the door. Seconds later, it emerged onto the porch, a rifle in hand. A gunshot rang out, but it sailed a foot over Lyrie's head.

"Don't know about you," Balto said quickly, "but I'm not stopping." He turned and bolted away from the figure, farther into town, and he could hear his sister running behind him. Three more shots split the air, but they all missed.

Balto spent the next few minutes darting between the houses, calling upon a skill he had learned back in Nome. He checked over his shoulder to make sure Lyrie was following, and she was never far behind.

He finally saw that the exit to this street was blocked: it was a dead end. He turned quickly to escape and sprint the other way, but a second figure emerged from a house and blocked his way, followed by a smaller figure.

Balto's jaw dropped in disbelief and desperation. "I'm sorry, Lyrie," he mouthed, turning to her. "Sorry it had to end like this."

"Wait," Lyrie said. "I—I think that's Rosy."

Balto whirled his head back toward the figures and forced himself to step forward, all the while straining his vision to identify the figure in the darkness. He finally heard an excited shout coming from the smaller silhouette.

"Balto? Balto!" The girl rushed forward and nearly tackled him to the ground as she embraced him. "How did you get here, boy?"

"Hold on, Rosy," the larger figure—Rosy's father—said, stepping toward his daughter and lowering his rifle. "Are you sure this is Balto?"

"It has to be, Dad," Rosy told him confidently. "Does this look like Balto to you?" Scratching him behind the ears, she guided Balto's head upward to face her father. "It has to be him." She then tightly hugged Balto again.

Rosy's father bent over and inspected Balto. "How did you get here so fast?" he asked, though he knew the dog could not answer. "And who is this?" he asked, diverting his attention to Lyrie.

Lyrie pulled away at first, but Balto shot her a reassuring glance. Though she appeared hesitant, she allowed the man to pet her gently.

"Well, we'd better get inside," the man continued. "Not sure how Stephanie will react, though."

The two dogs followed him—Lyrie a little more tentatively—as he stepped through the door.


	14. Chapter 14

XIV

The scene was different from what Balto expected; it was similar to the old house in Nome that he had known—still knew—so well. The only difference was the pile of half-packed boxes in one corner of the room.

An older, dark-haired woman sat near the far wall, sorting papers. "Charles?" she said, looking up. "What was that?"

Charles chuckled, motioning to Balto and Lyrie. "Look who decided to show up," he told her.

As he stepped forward, Balto anxiously scanned the cluttered room for Jenna. But to his dismay, she was nowhere to be seen. Her scent still lingered where he was standing, and he resisted the overwhelming urge to dart into the house and search for her.

The woman turned her eyes to the two dogs, and her eyes lit up. "Is that…is—is that Balto?"

Rosy came in just then. "Yeah, Mom, it's Balto!"

"Who's that, though?" Stephanie asked. She stood and petted the dogs, but her eyes moved toward Lyrie.

"I'm not sure," Rosy said, kneeling and scratching Lyrie behind the ears. "I've never seen her before." Her eyes suddenly widened. "What happened to her cheek?"

Lyrie tensed as Rosy reached out and ran her fingers across the scars. A low growl formed in her throat, and Rosy pulled away, frightened.

"Watch it, Rosy," the girl's father said sternly.

"I know, Dad," Rosy said, stepping back slightly.

Balto stepped forward and licked her hand. _Don't worry about Lyrie,_ he thought, wishing Rosy could understand him. _She's only my sister; she won't attack you._

Rosy smiled at the touch of Balto's tongue, and then she yawned and rubbed her eyes. "I…I wish Jenna was here to see you," she said. "Too bad she's still at the vet."

Balto pricked his ears forward at the mention of Jenna. _What?_ he asked in disbelief. _Where is she? What happened to her? What's wrong?_ He let out a whimper, and a few tears welled up in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Balto," Rosy's mother said, and for a second he thought she understood him. But she only reached down to pet him.

Charles turned to his wife. "What can we do now, Stephanie?" he asked her. "I mean, we can't just have them on the street, but we can't afford to feed them both for very long. And Jenna's due back tomorrow—what are we going to do with three dogs?"

Stephanie sighed. "I'm not entirely sure right now. I guess the least we could do is let them sleep inside for now. But where should they go?"

"One of them can have Jenna's bed for now," Charles said.

Lyrie yawned and lay down on the floor where she had been standing.

"C'mon, Lyrie," Balto said, "what's wrong? Don't you trust Rosy and her family?"

Lyrie's answer was simple: "How can I trust the ones who would have killed us?"

"No, they made a mistake," Balto told her, trying to reassure her. "They didn't expect us to be here, and they've never seen you before." He glanced back at the humans, but they did not seem to be paying any attention to him and Lyrie.

"They don't trust me; they don't know who I am. So why should I trust them?" Lyrie cocked her head, and her expression hardened.

"Is something wrong?" Balto asked. "You seem different from when I knew you as a pup."

Lyrie gave a shallow sigh. "A lot has changed since then. I was glad to see you, but my time alone has…changed me. You should know because of your wolf side, because of the Shiok. It's difficult to trust someone when you don't know them—or, sometimes, even if you do know them."

"Trust me, then," Balto said, smiling. "I've known Rosy for years, and she'd never hurt either of us."

Lyrie allowed the corners of her mouth to lift in a slight grin, and she nuzzled him briefly. "Yeah, I trust you," she said. "After all, you _are_ my brother."

"So where do you want to sleep?" Balto asked after a few seconds' pause.

"Whoever, I guess," she said indifferently, shrugging.

"C'mon, you can go up to Jenna's bed," Balto said. "I need to see this house myself, anyway." He padded up the stairs as he was used to doing from when Rosy had taken him in back in Nome, and Lyrie followed—albeit a little more hesitantly.

Rosy chuckled. "Guess he remembers." She clasped her hands in front of her waist, grinning at her parents, and followed the two dogs upstairs.

Balto reached the landing first and looked around. He gave a short bark, smiling, once he found Rosy's room. He bounded in and soon found Jenna's bed in one corner.

Lyrie arrived a few seconds later, looking around curiously. "So this is how the humans live?" she asked.

Balto shrugged. "Yeah. It's a lot better than what I ever had. At least until I met Jenna." He looked back toward the door to see Rosy enter.

"What is it, boy?" Rosy asked, scratching Balto behind the ears. "And who _is_ this other dog?"

Lyrie looked to Balto. "She can't understand us?"

Balto could not resist a chuckle. "You've obviously not been around them much, have you? You wanna take the bed?"

Stepping forward and sniffing the bed briefly, Lyrie shook her head. "Nah," she said. "The smell is…odd."

"Alright, then," Balto said. "More for me. Where'll you sleep?" he asked calmly.

"I've had nothing but the ground for years," Lyrie replied, chuckling. "The floor is fine with me. As long as Rosy's okay with it."

"She should be," Balto reassured her. "She knows she can trust me." He laid down on the bed and curled up.

A second later, Lyrie laid on the floor and placed her tail over her muzzle just as Rosy turned off the light and made her way into her own bed.

"Night, Balto," she said. "Tell your friend night for me."

Lyrie laughed a little.

"I told you she trusts you," Balto said. "Night."

"Night," Lyrie echoed. "You know," she said after a moment, "Why does Rosy trust you so much? You said you saved her. From what?"

"Heh," Balto answered. "There was a diphtheria epidemic four or five years ago—a disease that kills people. Rosy was unlucky enough to get it, and Nome's doctor was out of the serum needed to cure it. The team sent to retrieve it got lost, but I managed to find them and bring it back to Nome."

"So what did Rosy and Jenna have to do with it?"

"Heh, yeah. I think you can imagine. So, yeah, Jenna was grateful to me for saving Rosy, and I was in love with her. Now we're mates, and I'm so glad to have her."

"But didn't Rosy say she was at the vet?" Lyrie asked.

"Yeah. I'm not sure what's wrong with her," Balto replied. "Hopefully she'll be fine—I don't know what I would do without her."

A minute of silence passed, and then Lyrie sighed. "Alright, good night."

"Night." Balto said again. Soon they both were asleep.


	15. Chapter 15

XV

Aleu stared attentively into the surrounding woods, watching for any figures moving through the trees. The scents were everywhere—that much she could tell—but the mysterious wolves had yet to show themselves.

Aleu spun around slowly, covering a full circle, before she turned back to Zharil. "I can't find them."

"I know they're here," Zharil replied. "They're almost on top of us."

Paena sniffed. "It was too much, what they did to Nuk and Sarol."

"I know," Aleu said. "I know it's not your fault, but don't let it happen again."

Paena peered at Aleu and Xharil to make sure they would not notice, and then she squinted back at a certain spot in the trees. _Now,_ she mouthed.

There was a rustling sound behind Paena, and Aleu gasped in surprise. "Watch out, Paena!" she shouted, and the young female barely ducked out of the way as three wolves leapt from the shadows.

One wolf leapt directly at Zharil, while the other two headed for Aleu. "Guard Sarol!" Aleu yelled seconds before she prepared herself to counter the attacks. She reared up to throw herself down on one wolf, but she was thrown off balance as the other beast clawed at her stomach.

Aleu landed heavily on her right shoulder as one of her antagonists sliced along the left side of her jaw. She desperately rolled over to avoid another blow and forced herself to her feet. Both of her antagonists retreated a few steps and began to circle menacingly, baring their teeth and feinting jumps at her.

Aleu could only rotate in a tight circle to keep track of the other wolves. It was impossible for her to watch both at once, however, because they kept opposite of each other. Finally, Aleu made the decision to attack. She launched herself at the larger of the two wolves, somehow catching it off guard and managing to clasp her jaws over its neck. She used her momentum to tackle the wolf to the ground, slashing at its face and chest.

Aleu's attack was unrelenting, and she snapped at the wolf's throat, gashing the base of its jaw. She ignored a wound above her eye and dove in again, this time tearing open its neck.

Then she whipped around to face the smaller wolf, which was now charging at her. She ducked to the side as it passed her and tackled it, snapping its neck.

Panting, Aleu surveyed the clearing in search of her mate and Paena. Half a second later, she saw Zharil easily holding his own against the other wolf. She dove in from the side and tackled it, digging her claws into its shoulders. But she was too late to avoid a snap at her face, and the wolf's teeth gashed across her cheek. Groaning in pain, she screamed to Zharil.

Paena turned her attention away from the battle a few feet away—those wolves were expendable, anyway. She eagerly eyed the forms of Nuk and Sarol, and an idea came to her. _No,_ she thought, dismissing it. _They'll know it's me, and my cover will be blown._

Turning away from the bloody bodies, she spotted Zharil just as he clamped down on the last wolf's throat.

"Are you okay?" she asked him, faking a tone of worry.

"I think you could have helped me a bit," Zharil muttered, wiping blood from his eye. "We all could have been killed."

"But Aleu told me to protect Nuk and Sarol," Paena responded innocently. "She said they're the only hope the pack has for survival."

Zharil bent around to lick a wound on his shoulder, and then he turned to Aleu and they nursed each other's injuries. "Still," Aleu said, grunting, "you saw we needed help. So why didn't you help us? You've been with the Anyaris for long enough—we're more important than Nuk and Sarol anyway."

"Don't worry about it too much, though," Zharil said, cutting Aleu off. "You can't change it anyway, and we're all alive."

Aleu sighed. "What happened to you earlier, Paena?"

"I told you—I was just relaxing with them when the wolves jumped out of nowhere. Nuk tried to defend Sarol, but they beat him and tried to kill her. She managed to stay alive somehow, but then one of them came for me." She nuzzled into Aleu's chest, rubbing her cheek against the Alpha's fur. "Then—then I went to you for help."

"Either way, I'm glad you did what you did," Zharil told her. "And I'm sure Aleu is as well."

Aleu nodded and sat on the ground, staring at the corpses that were strewn across the nursery. "We'll have to clean this up or move it," she said flatly. "For now, though, we can only wait until they wake up."

Zharil nodded in agreement. "But what should we do about the wolves? There might be more of them, and we could barely hold off three. Who knows when there might be another attack?"

"If there are more," Aleu began, "chances are that they'd be around the nursery somewhere. We'll need to move it regardless of how many wolves there are. They're too much of a threat to the Anyaris as a whole."

"But what if they're not here?" Zharil asked. "Let's set patrols around the whole island. That's the only way to find them, but it could still be hard to take them down."

"With who? There's only Nuk and Sarol, and then Xyrun and Sarun. We need everyone else to hunt. And we would only be able to send two at a time, and they would be easy for the other wolves to kill. I'm not about to put that kind of pressure on them."

"You're right—it's suicide," Zharil replied. "Of course, there's the possibility that there aren't any more wolves. Maybe those three were the remnants of a pack from generations ago."

Aleu sighed. "I don't want us to end up like them," she said quietly. "Our numbers are low enough already."

"There has to be some answer to this." Zharil slammed a forepaw on the ground.

"Hold on," Aleu said suddenly. "What if the wolves are part of another pack? What if—do you think Paena could be part of the pack?"

"Maybe," Zharil answered, a skeptical tone in his voice. "I almost wonder if they were part of her pack that stayed behind after her family drowned. Why else would the other wolves have ignored her? Maybe she was confused, and she just drifted back here."

"I'm not so sure I trust her any more," Aleu said. She looked up and realized that Paena had disappeared. "Speaking of that, where is she? Paena?" she yelled. "Paena!" There was no response.

"I don't know," Zharil replied. "It is possible she could have been lying. That's what I've been telling you this whole time."

Aleu sprang forward a few steps, calling Paena's name repeatedly. She still received no response.

A swirl of mist drifted down from the sky and gradually took the form of Aniu. "Do not worry," the goddess said quietly. "You will find her in time."

"Aniu?" Aleu asked, surprised. "What do you mean? In time for what?"

"In time for you to carry out your destiny," Aniu replied. "This conflict will pass in time, but not until the right one enters the world." Saying nothing more, she dissolved into mist and disappeared.

"Aniu?" Aleu asked again, turning to Zharil, but the wolf was gone.


	16. Chapter 16

XVI

It was night.

A figure crept through the shadows near the Anyaris's nursery, the plan fresh in its mind. It peered through the darkness at the sleeping female, whose belly was visible swollen with pups. The figure slowly eased itself up to her, its motions almost imperceptible. Just as slowly, it moved around to her belly and lifted a claw over her skin. Then it gently lowered its claw and made a thin cut across the base of the female's stomach.

The female grunted slightly in her sleep but did not wake.

The figure moved back across the cut, pushing its claw deeper than before. Then, confident that its work was complete, it slipped away and disappeared into the night.

Sarol awoke suddenly just before dawn, and the first thing she noticed was a great pain in her stomach. She frantically shook Nuk's head. "Go get Aleu," she muttered through clenched teeth. "I—I think it's time."

"Time? Time for what?" Nuk asked, seemingly oblivious to the situation. "Oh, yeah. But no," he added a second later. "I need to stay here with you."

"I can handle this on my own for now," Sarol said. "Just go get Aleu!"

"Okay, okay!" Nuk answered, running off.

The second her mate disappeared, the pain in Sarol's stomach exploded. The female's vision became cloudy, and she began to feel lightheaded with an enormous sense of vertigo. _What did I do?_ she thought to herself. _I never thought it could get this bad._

Aleu appeared a moment later, followed closely by Nuk. "What is it, Sarol?" the Alpha asked. "Are you okay?" She stepped forward a few feet, making sure to keep her distance.

"The pups are coming," Nuk said. He bounded over toward his mate and attempted to nuzzle into her chest, but doing so was almost impossible because of the female's thrashing.

Aleu pricked her ears forward and rushed toward Sarol. "Are you alright, Sarol?" she asked again.

Sarol moved her head in what Aleu took to be a nod.

"Hang in there," Aleu told the female. "It'll all be over soon."

"How—would—you—know—that?" Sarol asked, gasping and grunting. "You've—never—" her voice was cut off by another burst of agony.

A spray of liquid splashed across the ground, and Sarol began to writhe even more intensely. Soon a white sac lay next to her, with a pup inside.

It happened again and again, and soon three pups lay on the rocky ground, still in their sacs.

The pain stopped, and Sarol managed to turn over and clean her pups. She chewed through the sacs and spit them to the side, eager to see her progeny.

"They're...beautiful," Nuk said, gazing down at the three tiny, brown and black pups that squirmed on the ground.

"Yes, beautiful," Sarol echoed. She bent down and proceeded to lick off the remains of the sacs and fluid. "What should we name them?"

Aleu, too, could not help but smile down at the pups. This was their future—with this litter came hope of the pack's survival. This was the end of their troubles.

But even as she watched, one of the pups gradually became still. It twitched a foreleg once or twice, and then it moved no more.

Aleu looked to Nuk and Sarol in shock, and she found that their expressions matched hers.

"What's...what's happening?" Sarol asked, her voice filled with disbelief.

"I—I don't know," Nuk answered, staring at the two remaining pups. He bent down and nudged one of them, but it, too, ceased to move.

Tears welled up in Aleu's eyes, and she glanced over to see that Nuk and Sarol were also crying. _What could this mean?_ she thought.

The three wolves slowly gathered around the last survivor, a brown female. "She looks exactly like you," Nuk told his mate, grinning. "I only hope she stays alive."

Aleu placed her head near the pup's chest and was relieved to hear a firm and steady heartbeat. "I'm sure she will," she said, smiling. "So, what are you two going to name her?"

Nuk cocked his head for a second. "Jarí," he said after a moment.

"Jarí," Sarol repeated. "I like it."

Aleu bent down toward Jarí again and placed her mouth near the pup's ear. "Jarí," she whispered, "here's hoping you can help save us." Aleu stood and grinned at the new parents. "Do you know what this means for the pack?"

"It means we might survive," Nuk said, nuzzling into his mate's cheek.

"No," Sarol said. "It means we _will_ survive."

"Aleu!" a sudden shout came from behind them. "Come on!"

Aleu whirled around, startled, and saw a wolf called Alphyr enter the nursery. "What's wrong, Alphyr?"

"It's Sarun and Xyrun," the brown wolf answered, his voice cracking. "They're being attacked."

"Another attack?" Aleu asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," Alphyr said. "I think they might be killed soon."

Aleu turned to Nuk and Sarol. "Hold on," she told them, "and protect Jarí." Then she turned and followed Alphyr.

"I saw about four or five wolves just beating them up," Alphyr said. "I didn't recognize them."

"This is exactly like what happened to Nuk and Sarol last week," Aleu remarked. "Just with more wolves. Where do they keep coming from? We've killed at least three already."

"I wish I knew," Alphyr replied. "Here," he added quickly once they reached the clearing.

Xyrun appeared to be standing, injured but not seriously, over another wolf, and there was one other corpse near the center of the clearing. Aleu identified the body as Sarun.

"Four or five?" Aleu questioned, staring at Alphyr.

"That's what I saw," he said. "I swear. I have no idea where they came from or where they went."

Aleu sighed. "Let me figure this out. In the meantime, find everyone you can and tell them to come to the council circle. Keep them there until I'm done here. Tell Zharil to go there too—I can handle this alone—and Nuk and Sarol need to stay where they are—we don't need to put Jarí in danger already."

"Okay," Alphyr said, turning to leave. "Anything for the benefit of the Anyaris."

Aleu watched Xyrun for a moment to make sure the situation was under control and approached him. "What happened?" she asked.

Xyrun turned his head and looked at her. "Oh, you know, Sarun and I were just ambushed by a bunch of wolves. I managed to chase them off, but they—they killed her." He growled and blinked a tear from his eye, glaring down at the wolf he had pinned to the ground. "At least he did. He's the last survivor, though I don't know why I haven't killed him yet."

The other wolf growled up at Xyrun but did nothing else.

"I'm glad you haven't killed him—he doesn't need to die," Aleu told Xyrun, and he looked at her, puzzled.

The third wolf glanced up at her gratefully.

"Yet," Aleu finished. "I'm sure I can still get some use out of him."

Without warning, she leapt down toward the wolf and flicked a claw at his throat. "Who are you?" she asked sharply. "Who are you with?"

The wolf only remained silent.

Aleu slashed across the wolf's eye. "What are you doing here?"

"This I can tell you," it began. "Tuunbaaq is trying to help overthrow Aniu, so we can—"

Aleu started to dig her claw into the wolf's throat. "Tuunbaaq? And who might that be?"

An immense force crashed into Aleu's side, knocking her to the ground, and something gashed across her back. "That would be me," a forceful voice said. The owner of the voice leapt off Aleu's back, forcing her chest into the ground.

Bruised and bleeding, Aleu stumbled to her feet. She turned to face her attacker, her eyes wide with shock. "Tuunbaaq," she said.

The black wolf smirked down at her. "Why don't you understand?" he asked. "Why do you believe in Aniu? Why do you put so much faith in her?"

Aleu shifted from foot to foot. "First of all, she's my grandmother. She saved my papa's life more than once, and she's saved mine as well." She glanced at the ground before turning her head toward the sky. "Because it's right."

Tuunbaaq chuckled. "It's all a lie. All of it." He stepped toward Aleu, all the while glaring down at her. "Everything she might have saved you from was her own doing. She just loves to put your life in danger to see if you can save yourself. And of course you can't, so she has to step in and save your butt."

"What are you talking about?" Aleu asked, disconcerted. She glanced over her shoulder to look for Xyrun, but he seemed to have disappeared along with the other wolf.

"Looking for them?" Tuunbaaq asked, ignoring Aleu's question but motioning to three corpses behind him. "I'm afraid I happened to hit your friend there."

Aleu gasped as she finally took in the fact that Xyrun and Sarun had been killed. Sarun's death had perhaps been unavoidable—she and Xyrun had been outnumbered two to one—but Xyrun's death was nothing more than murder.

And the murderer was right in front of her.

Uncontrollable anger rose up inside Aleu; she forgot who she was and she forgot who she was fighting. All she knew was that Xyrun and Sarun's deaths needed to be avenged.

Not caring what would happen to her, Aleu threw herself at Tuunbaaq, her eyes locked on his throat.


	17. Chapter 17

XVII

Caught by surprise, Tuunbaaq leapt up on his hind legs and grabbed Aleu's shoulders in his forepaws just as she did the same to him. Then the black wolf wrenched himself to the right, knocking Aleu off balance and gashing along her jaw.

Aleu rolled twice and stumbled to her feet, grimacing as blood trickled down the side of her chest. She snarled at Tuunbaaq, and the two began to circle anxiously.

It was less than fifteen seconds before Tuunbaaq leapt at her, tackling and slashing at her once again. He growled as he missed, and his shoulder slammed into the ground with a _crunch_.

Aleu glanced at him, panting, and started toward him again. She threw herself at his injured shoulder, but he brought his other forepaw up and across her chest, leaving four long, bloody scratches. He kicked her in the face as she fell to the side, cutting across her forehead.

Aleu struck the ground once more, and it was several seconds before she stood. Glancing at the ground and lifting a paw to her face, she began to doubt herself. "I'm not sure how much longer I can go on like this," she mumbled to herself. "But I need to avenge them." She ignored Tuunbaaq for a few seconds and gathered all her determination. Maybe this was the end, but now it was only the beginning.

Aleu shut her eyes tightly before opening them again and glaring at Tuunbaaq. She blinked blood away, and suddenly the pain seemed to leave her body. "So this is it," she whispered.

Not half a second later, Tuunbaaq charged at her yet again. She waited for the deathblow, but time seemed to slow down.

Aleu glared at the wolf for one last time, and she realized she was ready for the attack. Watching him come ever closer, she reared up on her hind legs at just the right moment. She raised her forepaws up against his chest just before he would reach her and shoved him backward, digging her claws into the base of his throat. A small burst of blood spurted from his neck, and he fell to the ground, his breathing heavy and ragged.

Surprised at the sudden turn of events, Aleu stepped backward and gazed at Tuunbaaq's body. She saw black mist envelop him and turned away, indifferent.

But an immense force suddenly struck her from behind, and she was shoved into a nearby tree. A foreleg wrapped around her neck, and she felt a claw be pressed against her throat.

"It's going to take more than that," Tuunbaaq sneered, releasing her.

Aleu landed on her back, and she gasped as she saw Tuunbaaq eyeing her exposed stomach.

"It would be so easy to kill you right now," the wolf said, smirking. Then he put a claw to her gut and traced a mock cut across her abdomen.

Aleu attempted to resist, but loss of blood had taken its toll. Drawing upon her last reserves of energy, she managed to turn herself over and once again struggle to her feet. "Help me, Aniu," she begged, and she turned her back to Tuunbaaq.

A sudden warm flow of energy passed through her body, but all her determination was replaced by fear. She forced her muscles to work and sprinted away from that spot as quickly as she could.

She could hear Tuunbaaq chasing her, and she pushed herself to run even faster. She had no specific destination in mind; she relied on the wolf goddess not only for strength but also to guide her to safety.

The black wolf was only a few feet behind her when Aleu finally slowed to a walk. She dove to the side, and Tuunbaaq skidded past her. She breathed a tentative sigh of relief, but her jaw dropped in shock when she realized where she was.

She stood at the top of the council circle, and the entirety of the Anyaris was gathered below her. She had led him to the rest of her pack. "Aniu," she gasped, her voice almost inaudible, "how could you do this to us?"

Tuunbaaq recovered and gazed out over the circle, smiling at the wolves' expressions of disbelief. "Thank you so much, Aleu," he said.

Aleu turned to him. "How do you know my name?"

The black wolf chuckled again, "Paena told me."

"What—Paena?" Aleu stepped backward, stumbling again and nearly falling.

"Oh, you didn't know?" the wolf sneered.

"Aleu, what's wrong?" Zharil called from somewhere. "Are you alright?"

Aleu turned her head toward the source of her mate's voice and sighed in relief as she saw him rushing toward her. "Zharil," she began, "I'm so sorry."

"Why?" Zharil asked.

Tuunbaaq only grinned and raised a forepaw over the gathered wolves. "It's time," he said simply.

The Anyaris looked around, confused, but soon they got their answer.

About a dozen dark shapes sprang from the surrounding shadows, catching the Anyaris by surprise. They immediately attacked, biting and slashing wherever they could.

Tuunbaaq only smiled down at the newly commenced battle before darting into the trees.

"Get him!" Aleu shouted, and Zharil ran after the other wolf.

Zharil kept his eyes on his quarry as he chased the murderer through the thick woods. But it was only a minute before Tuunbaaq disappeared in a cloud of black mist.

Zharil slowed to a halt, panting heavily, and squinted into the trees. But he saw no flicker of motion, and the forest was silent except for the sounds of the battle. He sighed and reluctantly turned back.

"He's gone," he told Aleu when he returned. "He just disappeared into thin air."

"That seems to be happening a lot with these guys," Aleu admitted. "As much as I hate to say this, we can't afford to waste energy searching for him. We need to help everyone down there." She turned and began to jump down to the next level.

"No," Zharil said quickly, clasping his mate's tail between his teeth and holding her back. "There are too many of them. We'll be slaughtered."

Aleu pulled herself back over the ledge and stared down at the battle, a solemn look in her eyes, "You're right," she stated simply. "But what can we do?"

"There's nothing we can do right now," Zharil answered, "but hope that things will turn out alright." He stared down at the wolves below, and Aleu followed her mate's gaze.

Chaos existed everywhere. The space below was filled with thrashing bodies. The air was filled with the bloodcurdling screams of injured and dying wolves, and the ground was wet with blood. As pack clashed with pack and body fell upon body, it became difficult to tell who was who.

As she gazed upon the fray, Aleu searched frantically for her own pack mates amid the scrambling wolves. She cringed as she recognized three bloody corpses, but they were soon obscured from sight by two more battling figures.

She turned to Zharil and nuzzled into his chest. "I'm so sorry," she said again, her eyes filling with tears. "You can leave me now," she added, burying her face into his fur. "Find somebody else. I'm not worth it." She pulled away and turned her back to him, sobbing heavily.

Zharil stepped toward her and gently placed a foreleg around her shoulder. "No, I was wrong before," he said, nuzzling her. "I love you, Aleu. You've been doing everything you can, and you haven't given up. I admire you for that."

"But it's not enough!" Aleu countered. "The pack is over! I destroyed them!"

"It wasn't your fault," Zharil replied quickly.

"Yes it was," Aleu said. "I thought I could handle it myself. I'm the one who brought him here. I'm the one who let Paena betray us. I'm the one who let her disappear. I should have just listened to Sarun and just killed her on the spot. I should have listened to you. It's all—b-because—of me!" She threw herself on the ground, tears streaming down her cheeks and muzzle.

Zharil inhaled deeply and let out a long sigh. "It's not your fault," he said again.

"Go away," Aleu snapped, her voice muffled. "Just leave me alone. Find somebody else to mate with."

Zharil stared down at her in shock. "I'll never leave you," he whispered. "You've done more than I could ever do." He waited for a response, but Aleu only hunched her shoulders and ignored him.

"I love you, Aleu," he repeated, his voice cracking. He approached her again and tried to nuzzle her.

She whirled around and slashed at him, scratching across his muzzle. "It's over," she said. "I'm done. Can't you see I want to be left alone?"

Zharil turned away. _Aleu, what happened to you?_


	18. Chapter 18

XVIII

With tears welling up in his eyes, he looked out over the circle and noticed that the battle was over. The ground was littered with bodies, and puddles of blood seeped into the dirt. It seemed that nobody was left alive.

Zharil cautiously stepped down toward the middle of the circle, inspecting the bodies. There was an occasional groan from a dying wolf, but the area was otherwise immersed in an eerie silence.

"Wh-whu arr yuh?" a feeble voice asked from somewhere to the side. A wolf lifted its head toward him.

Zharil turned to the wolf and saw that he was missing an eye, and an ear had been torn off. Blood was streaming down his face from multiple wounds on his forehead, and his tongue hung limply from the side of his disfigured jaw.

He cringed as he recognized the wolf—it was Alphyr.

"I'm Zharil," he said. "Trust me."

"Whah…happend tuh uss?" Alphyr asked. He closed his good eye and slowly opened it again.

Zharil debated whether to tell the wolf the truth. "We—we got torn apart," he began quietly. "Aleu and I tried to stop it, but—"

Alphyr suddenly heaved, and blood spattered from his mouth. He murmured something incomprehensible, and then he laid his head on the ground and did not move again.

Zharil let out a long sigh and scanned the remainder of the circle for more survivors. He saw none.

Then something struck him: Alphyr had told him that Sarol had finally given birth. But how would he tell them? Jarí had only been born that morning, and now there was no pack for her to grow up in. She had nobody but her parents, Aleu, and him.

But what if Nuk and Sarol had been killed? Zharil anxiously surveyed the battlefield yet again, but he was relieved to see that they were not among the dead.

Soon he returned to Aleu, tears dripping from his face. He found her in the same position as before, but the dirt around her face was wet with tears. He calmly nuzzled her cheek, but she only sobbed again.

"There are…none left," he whispered. "Nobody."

Aleu turned to him silently before covering her eyes with her tail. "And I killed them all," she mumbled.

"No," Zharil reassured her. "I'm sure Nuk and Sarol are still alive, and we still have each other."

"Jarí is safe, then," Aleu whispered.

"We can only hope," Zharil told her. He gently lifted Aleu's tail and licked her muzzle, smiling at her warmly. "We're okay," he said. "We both survived. We can start a new pack.

"No we can't," Aleu said. "We're stuck on this island, and there's nobody else to keep it going."

"Maybe you're right," Zharil admitted. "We can't. But I'm here, and you're here." He then began to lick Aleu's wounds.

A moment of silence passed between them. But soon Aleu opened her eyes and smiled up at him. "I love you, Zharil," she whispered.

"I love you, too," Zharil repeated. He lay next to her and pressed himself against her side, enjoying the warmth of her soft fur against his.

The pair remained there for several minutes. "Would you mind going to check on Nuk and Sarol?" Aleu asked quietly, breaking the silence. "I still need time to—to take all this in."

"As much as I hate to leave you, sure," Zharil told her. He stood unwillingly and walked to the edge of the clearing, and they made eye contact as he started toward the nursery.

As soon as Zharil left, a cloud of white mist appeared in the clearing. It swirled around for a few seconds, and Aniu emerged.

"Do not cry, child," the goddess said calmly, and a feeling of warmth emanated from her voice.

Aleu looked up, blinking tears from her eyes. "But why—why did this happen?" she asked, her voice cracking. "Why did my pack get destroyed?"

"Only so that you may come closer to your destiny," Aniu answered.

"What's my destiny," Aleu asked sharply, "to have my future taken away from me? To die alone? What about Xyrun and Sarun? What about Alphyr and everyone else? Why was that their destiny? Why is this mine?" She collapsed on the ground, panting.

"Everything will make sense in time."

"But why not now? Why doesn't it make sense? Nothing has made sense for years!"

"The conflict is not over," the goddess said. "You may say it has only just begun. But you are the one who can end it."

"What—what do you mean?" Aleu stepped forward, raising a forepaw a few inches.

"It was several seconds before Aniu answered. "The wolves are close to extinction. The fate of our species lies with you and another, one you love more than you know."

"Zharil…." Aleu whispered to herself. Then she glanced at Aniu. "Who is it?"

A shadow sprang from the side and tackled the goddess. Aniu was knocked to the ground as it slashed at her neck and chest. But she got to her feet a few seconds later, snapping at the shape's throat.

Aleu cringed when she realized who it was: Tuunbaaq. "Ani—" she shouted, but her voice broke off.

Tuunbaaq dodged the white wolf's advances with ease and sank his teeth into her shoulder, causing Aniu to scream in pain. He raked his claws along her side, and the goddess began to writhe in the dirt.

Only then did Tuunbaaq relent and allow Aniu to stand. Limping heavily on her left foreleg, she threw herself at Tuunbaaq, claws outstretched.

But Tuunbaaq sidestepped, and Aniu's head struck a tree. Her neck cracked, and she was still.

Aniu lifted her bloody head and howled weakly. Then, as the soft note faded to silence, she dissolved into a mist and disappeared.

"No…." Aleu whispered. "Not…A—Aniu…. How—"

"Like the show?" Tuunbaaq asked, turning and glaring at Aleu. He lunged at her, and Aleu could barely duck out of the way as the wolf's hid paws grazed the top of her head.

Fueled only by adrenaline and fear, Aleu sprinted away from the spot. _I have to keep him away from Zharil,_ she thought.

Her first instinct was to run to the forest, where she knew she could lose him. So she took those paths and was soon surrounded by thick trees.

Then she suddenly darted off the path, which had been worn down by years of paws traveling that way, and dove into a dense group of pines. Ignoring the needles that scratched across her wounds, she wove through the trunks and leapt over bushes.

A quick glance over her shoulder showed that Tuunbaaq was still in hot pursuit. "How can I get away from this guy?" she asked herself rhetorically.

Just then, she found herself on the beach, with barely twenty yards between her and the ice that lined the ocean.

Tuunbaaq snarled behind her, and she veered to the left so as to avoid the ice.

The sun was suddenly obscured, and Aleu glanced at the sky to see an immense storm cloud hovering over the island. Lightning flashed across the sky, and a rumble of thunder vibrated through the air.

_Great,_ Aleu thought. _As if I have enough to deal with._ Suddenly she felt her paws slip out from under her as she skidded on a patch of ice, and her head struck the ground beneath. She was unable to stop, and her body tumbled onto a large chunk of ice that jutted out into the water.

Even when she recovered, her vision was blurry and indistinct, and she was overcome with vertigo.

Everything became black.

A sudden gust of wind caused an enormous swell to form, and the wave crashed over the ice behind Aleu, severing her only connection to solid ground. The chunk of ice rose and fell as it began to drift away from the island. But Aleu remained unconscious.

Tuunbaaq had paused when he saw Aleu fall, and now he approached a figure at the edge of the forest. "Paena," he said quietly. "You did well, my daughter."

Paena nodded in response, and they both erupted into black mist and were gone.


	19. Chapter 19

XIX

Balto awoke to the feeling of Rosy's hand rubbing across his face. "Morning, Balto," Rosy said. "Dad just left to bring Jenna back from the vet."

Balto pricked his ears forward at the mention of his mate's name. "Wha…?" Rosy's words finally made sense to him a few seconds later, and he slowly stood, blinking the sleep from his eyes. He looked over to where he knew Lyrie had slept, but that spot on the floor was empty. Shrugging with mild indifference, he padded to the hallway and allowed Rosy to follow him down the stairs. When he reached the bottom, he saw his sister in the kitchen, looking around the room with a blank look.

Rosy patted Lyrie on the head a few times. "C'mon, girl, eat." She shook the bowl of dog food which sat a foot away from Lyrie, but the dog made no motion to eat.

"It's really not that bad," Balto said, approaching his sister. "It's what Jenna's lived on since she was a pup."

Lyrie eyed him curiously, but she snapped up a few bites of food. "It's…okay," she said finally. "Not what I would go for, though."

"It keeps us alive." Balto looked up as a bowl was placed in front of him, and he began to eat quietly.

A few minutes later, the door opened, and Charles entered, followed closely by Jenna. "I'm back," the man said almost unnecessarily. "She's fine, just a few scratches."

"Jenna!" Balto yelled joyfully as soon as he saw his mate. He bounded toward her before she could react, embracing her.

"Balto? B—" Jenna's voice was muffled as Balto suddenly nuzzled into her. "What—how did you get here?" She stared at him, wide-eyed, but then laughed and buried her muzzle into Balto's chest.

It was then that Balto remembered that Lyrie was there. "Oh, Jenna," he began. "This is Lyrie, my sister." He stepped aside to allow the two females to meet.

"You have a sister?" Jenna asked, incredulous. "Since when?"

"We're from the same litter," Lyrie explained before Balto could answer. "And there's two—one more of us."

"What do you mean?" Jenna asked. "Where are they?"

"The last I saw Galena, she was running away from us with a malamute; I think his name was Duran," Lyrie answered. "And Ara—she's gone."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Jenna said, addressing both of them.

Balto looked at her. "So why were you at the vet, anyway? Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just some rough waves on the way up here." Then she leaned in close to him and whispered into his ear, "Can we talk in private? Rosy's room."

Balto gulped and followed Jenna up the stairs. "Be right back," he called over his shoulder at a questioning Lyrie.

"Here," Jenna told him once Balto closed the door behind them.

Balto could not hide the worry on his face. "Tell me you're okay, Jenna," he said. "What happened on the way up here?"

Jenna inhaled deeply and sighed. "Let's just say some dogs _still_ can't get over the fact that I love you."

"Don't even tell me—" Balto could not bring himself to finish the sentence. "Who was it?"

Jenna tilted her head and showed him two long scratches above her left eye. She turned to the side slightly, revealing that her side was covered in bruises. "Two—two dogs from Anchorage were fighting over me, and I got nicked a few times. I told them you were my mate and I'd never leave you, and one of them backed off. But—but the other one wouldn't listen…." She broke down in tears.

Balto moved up to her and snuggled against her. "Jenna, tell me: are you okay?" He placed a protective forepaw over her and gently nuzzled against the side of her face. She nuzzled back, and they made silent eye contact. "Jenna," he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper, "tell me."

Jenna sobbed a few times and rested her head on Balto's other forepaw. "I—I managed to fight him off. But I couldn't help but think of—" she struggled to force herself to say the word—"Steele."

A few silent seconds passed, and Balto growled deep in his throat. "Steele," he muttered.

"Balto," Jenna began again, looking up at him. "I—I have a confession to make."

He leaned into her once again, and soon their noses touched ever so gently. "W-what is it?" he whispered, afraid of what he might hear.

"I…" She paused. "I…couldn't hold off Steele." She looked down, breaking their eye contact, and sobbed heavily several times. "It was years ago, I know, but I'm sorry. Oh, Balto…I've failed you." She shut her eyes tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks, and allowed her head to fall against the side of Balto's chest.

"No, Jenna—" Balto licked her muzzle as tenderly as he could and placed a forepaw under her chin. He gently lifted her head, and she slowly opened her eyes. "It's not your fault; don't worry about it. I would never stop loving you, and you're still beautiful, no matter what Steele did to you."

"Oh, Balto," Jenna whispered. "Thank you. Thank you so much for coming here. I…I don't know what I would have done without you. How…why did you follow me?" she asked him a moment later.

Balto was silent for a second. "Aniu told me to, and I…heh, well, I wanted to." He chuckled quietly, folding his ears back in embarrassment. "I—I hope you don't mind."

Jenna stared at him for a bit, but then she dove in and embraced him, caressing his face with her tongue. "Oh Balto, I love you."

"I love you, too, Jenna," Balto replied, and they nuzzled once more.

"_The stork has landed!" the terrier was calling amid a flurry of yips and _

_barks. "The stork has landed!"_

"_Jenna!" Balto gasped, finally realizing what the dog meant. Eager to meet his pups, he ran off to Rosy's house. He gently cracked open the door, but was almost afraid to enter._

"_Oh, hi, Balto," Jenna said warmly when she saw him. "Come on in; they won't bite. At least, not yet."_

_Balto entered and saw his mate sitting in a basket while nursing the litter: five burgundy pups—the exact same color as their mother. "They're beautiful, Jenna. Just like you." He waited for a reply, but no response came._

_A flicker of motion caught his eye—a sixth pup. Balto then understood why Jenna had not answered him, but he was sickened by the realization._

_The sixth pup was black._

_The scene changed:_

"_What's the matter, Papa?" a black female sneered at him from a few feet away. "Why don't you love me? Everyone else—Kodi, Dingo, Saba, even Andreanof and Buldir—you love all of them, but why not me?"_

_Balto stepped back and took a second to analyze his surroundings. The female, who he had named Obsidian after the color of her fur, was his daughter—no, not his. Steele's. The two stood, confronting each other, on the deck of his old boat in Nome. The setting sun cast the beach into twilight, and Obsidian was little more than a silhouette._

"_No, Obsidian," he finally said. "Your mother and I both love you. Why can't you see that? What more do I need to do?"_

_Obsidian only glared at him. "It's a mask!" she shouted. "I know you don't love me. Why do you keep on pretending?" She approached him, tears in her amber eyes, and nuzzled into his chest. "Why?" she repeated, her voice muffled slightly._

"_I…I don't know how to say this," Balto whispered, finally deciding that Obsidian needed to know the truth._

_Obsidian pulled away and glared at him over her shoulder, her ears pinned back. "Say it!"_

_Balto gulped and closed his eyes. Lowering his head, he forced himself to tell her. "I'm—I'm not your father, Obsidian. It's…it's…Steele."_

"_You're—you're kidding," Obsidian responded. "Steele? What are you talking about? How could you do this to me?"_

_Balto sighed and tried to regain control of the situation. "I didn't do anything to you. It doesn't matter who your father is, Obsidian; I still love you. You're my daughter." He approached her, trying to nuzzle her._

_She only pulled away. "No, I'm not. How could you lie to me?" She turned and leapt over the edge of the deck, disappearing into the darkness._

"_Obsidian…."_


	20. Chapter 20

XX

"Jenna! What did you—" Balto called aloud.

"Wh-what do you mean, Balto?" the husky asked, nuzzling him to wake him. "I didn't do anything."

Balto looked around and saw that he was lying in the living room, and Charles and Stephanie were talking in the kitchen. "Huh…oh, I must have drifted off there." He grinned, but his expression quickly changed. "I had the…weirdest dream, though." He stared at the ground, lowering his ears in submission.

Jenna glanced at him, looking worried. "What was it?" she asked, rubbing her forehead against Balto's jaw.

Balto raised his head slightly and made eye contact. "You know what you told me about Steele?" he whispered.

"How could I forget?" Jenna asked, forcing a small grin.

"I—I dreamt that…that Aleu was black," Balto said. "She had none of me and so much of…Steele. But—but it was the same thing. She said I didn't love her because he did that to you."

"Oh, Balto," Jenna whispered, pressing herself against him. "Don't worry about that. It's in the past, and I'm sure it won't happen again."

"I know," Balto answered, nuzzling her. 'But I've been having that same dream every night since you told me. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it." He hung his head again.

Jenna lifted his head with a gentle forepaw. "You know I'll always love you, no matter what."

Balto sighed. "Thank you so much, Jenna."

He had tuned out the voices coming from the kitchen, but now they made themselves clear to him. "Listen," he told his mate, and they both remained silent.

"But why are we still keeping them?" Charles was asking.

"We need to," Stephanie answered. "You have no idea what they mean to Rosy—at least Balto and Jenna. What would she think if we let them go?"

"We have no choice," the man said sternly. "I'm sure she'll understand if we can't afford to keep them."

"I just can't bear the thought of throwing them out like that," Stephanie told him, placing her head in her hands.

"Do you have a way to suddenly get all that extra money every week?" he asked. "They go through a lot of food."

The woman sighed after a moment. "I guess you're right," she said, her voice cracking "But when should we do it?"

"We might as well do it now," Charles said sternly.

"Are you sure we have to get rid of all of them? Can't we keep at least one?"

"I think we can at least afford one for now. I mean, that's why we brought Jenna with us in the first place."

Stephanie stood up and walked over to the foot of the stairs. "Rosy!" she called. "We have something to tell you."

Rosy appeared within several seconds. "What is it?"

Charles studied his daughter's expression. "We've decided what we…can't afford to keep all three dogs, only one. I'm sorry, but we need to let two of them go." He glanced at the floor. "Who do you want to keep?"

"Oh, I have no idea," Rosy said, and tears were visible welling up in her eyes. "I've had Jenna for—for so long, but Balto—he saved my life." She walked over to where the dogs were sitting and tightly hugged both of them.

"Balto," she continued, holding the wolfdog's head in her hands and staring into his eyes. "You know I love you, don't you, boy? I can't let you go. Jenna," she said, rubbing her cheek against the husky's forehead. "I don't know what I'd do without you. You never gave up hope when I was sick, and you always trusted Balto to save me."

Balto stepped up to Rosy and nuzzled against her arm. He whimpered quietly. _Please don't throw me out there._

Rosy looked to her parents, but she kept one hand on each dog. "I don't know," she told them, and she was visibly holding back tears.

Just then, Lyrie walked in from another room. "What's going on?" she asked. 'Why is Rosy crying? Did you two do something to her?"

Jenna glanced at her uncomfortably. "No," she said. "They need to get rid of two of us."

Lyrie grunted. "Another reason I don't trust humans. We've been here for a week, and I don't think she even knows my name."

Rosy suddenly knelt again and hugged Lyrie, and the dog looked disgusted with the sudden contact.

"And that just proves my point," Lyrie said.

"No, Lyrie," Balto interjected. "I doubt you understand. She feels a special connection with both of us because of what happened five years ago. She loves Jenna and me, and we both love her back. This is a difficult time for her."

They were interrupted when Charles spoke suddenly. "As much as I hate to say this," he began, "my argument stays the same as before the serum run. I know what Balto did for you, Rosy—for all of us—but I still don't entirely trust him. His wolf side had been dormant for too long, and I can't be sure when it might come out."

Stephanie sighed. "You have a good point there," she said, standing and scratching Balto behind the ears. "Rosy, who should we keep?"

"I can't decide," Rosy said. "I guess…I guess we should keep Jenna, especially after what happened on the way up here. I hate to do that to them, though." She squatted beside the wolfdog and hugged him against her head. "I'm so sorry, Balto," she continued.

Balto licked Rosy's cheek, sighing. _If it's for the best,_ he thought_. I don't want to leave either._

'Dad," Rosy said. "I can't throw them out. You and Mom do it."

Stephanie stood and walked over to Balto and Lyrie. She shepherded them toward the front door. "You both know I don't want to do this," she said, opening the door.

Balto stared at Jenna longingly. "Stay safe," he whispered. I love you."

"Oh, Balto," Jenna whispered back. "I…."

Balto sat on the sidewalk as Stephanie stood with her hand on the doorknob. He stared up at her and then glanced down at Jenna, fixing his gaze on his mate's amber eyes. "I'll never forget you," he mouthed.

A shadow fell across Balto's face as Stephanie closed the door, and Rosy and Jenna were blocked from view.

Balto turned to Lyrie. "Well, I guess that's it. She's gone." He hung his head. "I wish Boris was here. He'd have something to say."

"Uh-huh," Lyrie said quietly. "Now let's get going."

Balto shook his head, grunting, but complied. "Where should we go?"

"Honestly, I wouldn't mind going home," Lyrie said. "South, then."

"Guess I'll end up going back to Nome. There's no point in staying here."

The door behind them suddenly opened, and Jenna darted out. "Balto!" she cried. "I'm coming with you!" She rushed in and nuzzled him, nearly knocking him over in the process.

"Really? That's great," Balto said. "But why did you leave Rosy? Did they let you go?"

Jenna laughed. "I didn't give them a choice. It was hard for me to leave Rosy, but I think it was the right thing to do." She nuzzled him again. "Plus, don't we have a family back in Nome?"

"Yeah, you're right," Balto told her. "As usual."

"It's getting dark," Lyrie pointed out, glancing at the evening sky. "We need to get going soon if you two want to be anywhere by tomorrow."

"Yeah, let's go," Jenna said. She took one last look at Rosy's house before heading to the street and turning south. Balto and Lyrie followed silently.

It was less than an hour before the sun sank below the horizon, and the tundra was bathed in the shadows of twilight. Lyrie led the group, and Balto and Jenna walked side by side a few feet behind her.

"You know you didn't need to do that for me," Balto said quietly once several more minutes had elapsed.

"I had to," Jenna replied. "It was the same reason you followed me to Gantuk. I couldn't bear to see you like that, to remember you like that."

"Then remember me like I was after the serum run," Balto said, forcing a chuckle.

"That memory is fixed in my head," Jenna said.

The next half an hour was spent in silence, and soon the moon shone from above. The sky was mostly clear, but a few clouds were barely visible in the dark expanse.

"My son," a voice sounded behind Balto.

He turned to see Aniu sitting beside a rock. But the wolf seemed transparent, and she was covered in blood from several wounds on her face and neck.


	21. Chapter 21

XXI

"Mother, what…happened?"

"A…Aniu?" Jenna asked, a tone of shock and disorientation in her voice.

Lyrie leapt toward Aniu. "Where have you been, Mom?" asked quickly. "What happened to you?"

"I have been watching over you, my daughter," Aniu said. "Balto, I can only say that you must continue to Nome as fast as you can. There is a new threat—" she faltered, and her voice became weaker—"that threatens…to destroy us all. Your—your daughter—" her voice broke off.

"What about her?" Balto asked, stepping forward. "You mean Aleu, right? Is she in trouble?"

"Y—" Aniu gasped, but no words came. Suddenly she tensed up and fell to the ground. Blood spattered as she began to thrash in the snow.

"Mom?" Lyrie asked anxiously. "Are—are you alright?"

Aniu's voice came once more in the form of a quiet gasp. "Find it—defeat it. It is all you can do." Then she erupted into a massive fireball, instantly melting the snow in a three-foot radius. When the smoke cleared, she was gone.

"Mom!" Lyrie cried. She leapt forward to where the goddess had been seconds before and pawed at the bloodstained ground, but there was no sign of the white wolf.

Jenna and Balto only looked on in shock. "So…that's it," the husky said quietly.

A tear dripped from Balto's eye and landed in the snow. "Yep," he whispered. I…guess so."

"Well," Lyrie said after a long silence, her voice choked. "I don't know of—of anything more to do here, so goodbye." She took a deep breath to keep from breaking down in hysteria and then continued. "Take the beach south—it goes right—right to Nome." Saying nothing more, Lyrie turned and sprinted into the mountains.

"G-goodbye, Lyrie," Balto said, though he knew she would not hear him. Jenna echoed her mate a second later, staring at the spot where Balto's sister had disappeared.

Jenna stood there almost mechanically, still absentmindedly gazing at that spot. She blinked suddenly, breaking out of her reverie, and turned back to her mate. "Balto?"

Balto, too, was standing motionless. Tears had welled up in his eyes, and his face was a blank expression of shock. His chest was barely moving—his breathing was slow and shallow.

"Balto? Are you okay?" Jenna asked, becoming worried. She rushed over to him and nuzzled against the side of his face, pressing her shoulder against his chest. "Balto?" she repeated.

The wolfdog suddenly gasped and allowed himself to collapse onto Jenna's shoulder. Tears fell across his face as he began to pant heavily, and his eyes were wild and frightened. "Jenna," he said, "she's…gone!" He buried his head into the folds of his mate's bandanna, wishing only to know that Aniu had not been killed. He relished the comfort of his mate's presence, and he trusted her to let him take solace in her loyalty.

"Oh, Balto, you know I'm always here for you," Jenna told him. "I'm so sorry for what just happened—I can't imagine what you must be feeling right now. But just know that I'm always here."

Balto sniffed a few times. "Y-yeah. I—I know." He moved his head up Jenna's neck to rest it against her cheek, and they nuzzled once more.

"Oh, Balto, you know I'll always love you," Jenna said. She lifted a forepaw and wiped the tears from Balto's muzzle.

Balto sighed and took a deep breath. "We—we need to get back to Nome. Aniu said—"

"Aleu might be in trouble," Jenna finished. "But how could she be in Nome? You told me she floated away on an ice floe."

Balto gave a strained chuckle. "I'm sure she found some way to do it. You can only spend so much time with her without knowing how she thinks."

"True," Jenna said, sighing. "Let's get going."

The rest of the evening lapsed by as the pair headed south along the coast. Balto treaded near the break of the water, with Jenna to his left, slightly more inland. Soon the moon shone down on them from over the mountains, bathing the tundra in a soft light. The black ocean occasionally lapped up over Balto's paws, and a wave of cold shot through his body. _As long as it keeps me awake,_ he reassured himself, glancing to the east every several minutes. The mountain range to their left slowly diminished in size as the miles passed, though it was only a silhouette against the moon.

Jenna paused for a moment and stepped to the side as a strong breeze ruffled her fur and caught her bandanna. She turned toward the ocean and saw several bright flashes of lightning over the open water. The light was quickly followed by a loud boom of thunder.

"Maybe we should rest," the husky said. "It looks like there's a storm coming, and we need to rest if we're going to see Aleu tomorrow." She forced a small laugh.

Balto nodded in agreement. "Yep," he yawned, not adding that he had been waiting for Jenna to say that.

Turning to the left, he spotted a small cave partway up one of the ridges and led Jenna to the shelter. "This looks good," he pointed out, stepping in and lying down.

"All things considering," Jenna answered, eyeing the storm nervously. She lay next to Balto and pressed herself against him. "You know I've never liked storms," she told him, glancing at him sheepishly.

"Don't worry, I know," Balto said. "I promise I won't let anything happen to you."

"I hope not," Jenna said facetiously.

Balto only pawed at her cheek and smiled.

It was only a few minutes before rain began to fall from the clouds that loomed above, and any light from the moon was obscured. Thunder boomed across the sky, and brilliant flashes of lightning illuminated the entire beach, only to once again cast it into impenetrable blackness. The wind howled, resonating discordantly across the entrance to the cave. A constant spray of rain blew into the shelter, but Balto and Jenna were too far inside to be affected by any of the water.

Balto half-stood after several minutes, gazing out into the storm. He could feel Jenna shivering and panting beside him, and he swished his tail over her side in reassurance.

"What is it?" Jenna whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Nothing," Balto replied. "Just looking outside. This storm isn't going to stop anytime soon."

Jenna sighed behind him.

"It'll be okay," Balto said, brushing her with his tail again.

Amid the flashes of light, Balto thought he saw a large piece of driftwood, but it was obscured by water and darkness before he could make it out. The object appeared several more times, but soon Balto convinced himself that it had been a hallucination.

The storm passed an hour later, and all was quiet. Jenna had long since fallen asleep, and now Balto decided to try to sleep himself. He peered at the sky and saw that the moon was barely to the west. "Wow," he whispered. "It's past midnight already."

He licked Jenna's muzzle once before lying down and allowing the silent blackness to entice him into sleep.

Balto opened his eyes several hours later, and the first thing that registered to him was the brightness. _What—where am I?_ he thought.

Then he saw Jenna, who had snuggled up to him overnight, and remembered the previous night. "Oh yeah," he mouthed. "The storm." Being careful not to wake Jenna, he made his way outside to survey the aftermath.

The beach was littered with small pieces of debris—shells, rocks, several dead fish and skates—and a shelf had been formed about three yards inland from where the tide now peaked. Even around the entrance to the cave, dozens of twigs and small branches had been blown off the trees.

Much of the beach was still swathed in shadow, but a shape a few dozen yards to the north caught Balto's eye. It looked to be some kind of furred creature, and it lay on its side with its head facing the ocean. It was a wolf, brown in color, but a few patches of gray were visible on its stomach.

Balto waited for several seconds, but the wolf did not move. He cautiously approached it, and then he noticed its smell for the first time: female—something familiar, something that he had once known. As he stepped closer, he noticed something else—she seemed to be covered in small wounds, but she was still breathing.

As he moved around to see the wolf's face, he finally realized who it was. He backpedaled for a moment, but then he rushed in to wake her. "Aleu! Aleu!"


	22. Chapter 22

XXII

Balto nuzzled his daughter frantically, praying that she would wake. He called her name several more times, and soon she began to stir.

"Unnh…" she began, opening her eyes for the first time in what might have been days. She squinted at the light but soon widened her eyes. "Zha…. P-Papa!" Aleu sprang up and nuzzled him. "How did you get—how did _I_ get here?" she asked after a moment.

Balto chuckled. "I was going to ask you the same question." He glanced toward the cave before looking back at Aleu. "Your mother's not going to believe this."

"Mama?" Aleu asked. "Where is she? Oh, it's so nice to see you again," she added, closing her eyes and smiling at Balto.

"Hold on, let me go get her." Balto hurried back to the cave to find Jenna already awake.

"What's all the noise about?" the husky asked. "Is something wrong?" She stood quickly and hurried to the mouth of the cave, looking around.

Balto walked up behind her. "Aleu's back," he said nonchalantly.

"Wait, what?" Jenna asked, incredulous. "You can't be serious."

"Take a look outside," Balto replied coolly. "She's there."

"Mama!" Aleu cried once she saw Jenna. She ran up to her parents, and they all nuzzled.

"So, Aleu," Balto began after a moment. "What…where have you been?"

Aleu wrinkled her nose, sighing. "It's…a long story."

"Do you want to come up to the cave?" Balto offered. "There's no need to stand out here."

"Sure, thanks," Aleu replied. She followed her parents up to the cave and lay down near the entrance.

"Where have you been?" Jenna asked. "I imagine a lot must have happened since you and Balto left."

"You have no idea," Aleu began facetiously before adopting a more serious tone of voice. "Like I said, it's a long story."

"Must be," Balto commented. "You've been away for years."

"Yeah," Aleu said. "Well, anyway, the ice floe took us all to this island that was probably thirty miles out to sea. How we got there without dying, I have no idea, because we had to wait for fish if we wanted anything to eat. There were a few times the Anyaris almost lost faith in me, but I managed to keep us all in order.

"It took us a couple of weeks to reach the island, and we found it full of caribou and rabbits and other animals. And I became friends with this wolf named Zharil, and we—um, became mates." She looked to her parents awkwardly, but they said nothing.

"But the caribou only lasted around two and a half years," Aleu continued. "So we began to get hungrier and hungrier. But then…a wolf showed up out of nowhere."

"What?" Balto and Jenna asked in unison.

Aleu sighed again. "She called herself Paena. She was a spy for another pack, the Ravista, who were living on the same island without us knowing. Soon, Tuunbaaq decided to attack us. That's why I'm all scratched up," she finished, motioning to the wounds that dotted her face and body.

"And?" Jenna asked, a tone of worry in her voice. "What happened?"

Aleu sniffed, and tears welled up in her eyes. "We got annihilated," she said. "It was all because of me and Paena. Everyone else knew she was lying, but I believed her. I was too stupid to realize what everyone knew all along. Now it's just me, Zharil, and Nuk and Sarol and their daughter Jarí." She began to sob heavily, lowering her ears and staring at the ground.

Balto walked over to his daughter and laid his head on her shoulder. "It's okay," he said. "At least you and your mate are still alive."

"And a few other members of your pack," Jenna added, nuzzling her daughter's neck. "What happened to Tuunbaaq?" she asked.

"You—you don't get it," Aleu said. "He got away. He's not a normal wolf—he can teleport like Aniu…. He was alone on the island with Zharil and everyone else, and I don't know if they're still alive. My pack is gone! They're gone!" She laid her head on Balto's shoulder and sobbed while her father licked some of her wounds.

"But you're alive," Balto told her, "and you have us. We're going back to Nome, actually, so you can come with us if you want."

"Why?" Aleu asked. "I look like a wolf—they'll kill me at first sight!"

"I'll make sure they don't," Jenna answered. "I'd jump in front of a bullet to save you or your father."

Balto gently nudged her with his shoulder. "Nah, I wouldn't let you."

"Why are you going to Nome, anyway?" Aleu asked, cocking her head. "Where did you go? There wasn't another serum run, was there?"

"Rosy's family moved," Jenna responded. "To a place called Gantuk, north of here. They'd taken me with them."

"So let me guess," Aleu said quickly. "Papa, you decided to follow her and broke her out of their house."

Balto chuckled. "Well, you're half-right. I _did_ follow her, and I met my sister along the way, but they kicked us all out. Lyrie left us yesterday to go back to wherever she lives."

"Anyway," Aleu interrupted, "what's even going on in Nome right now?"

"The humans are in an economic slump right now," Balto answered, "at least from what I can tell."

"Where are Kodi, Dingo, and everyone else?" Aleu asked after a moment.

"Different places," Jenna responded. "Kodi's on a mail team, and Saba's on a racing team. Dingo, Andreanof, and Buldir are just people's pets, but they're doing fine."

"Don't you want to meet up with them again?" Balto asked Aleu. "I can't tell you how many times they've asked me where you are."

Aleu cocked her head. "None?" she asked, smirking.

"Heh, more than that," Balto said. "But only a few."

Still," Jenna said. "It would be nice of you to surprise them after they haven't seen you in years."

"Yeah, I guess," Aleu replied. "I'll go."

"Okay, then," Balto remarked, gazing at the cloudy sky. "Let's get going, then—it's almost noon." He took a few steps forward but stopped when he realized that only Jenna was following.

Aleu was sitting near the beach, facing the open water with her eyes closed. She mumbled something: "For everyone lost." Then she lifted her head to the sky, raising a forepaw as she had always done. The note faded to silence, and then Aleu slowly made her way to her father's side.

"Let's go," she said simply.


End file.
